* * • * * * -v * * * fr ?H sfe 

FROM 

1DEUTY* CHRISTIANITY 
LIFE SKETCHES 

OF 

WILLIS M.BROWN 



^> i>^-^^i^^-^^i>^-— ^i^^-^^7^-^^4 v* — ^i '^ — ^>4^ — ^>4^ — *^i^— ^V^s^ 




OlassBX7^ 
Book^Ci^J 

Copyright^ _ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




W. M. UROWX. 



FROM INFIDEUTY TO CHRISTIANITY 

LIFE SKETCHES 

OF 

WILLIS M. BROWN. 



Written by Himself. 



GOSPEL TRUMPET COMPANY, 

MOUNDSVILLE, "W. Va. 

X904, 



3OT37 



,07 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 

Two Cooies Received 

APR 12 1904 

Copyright Entry 

CLASS ft- XXc. No. 

COPY B 



Copyright, 1904, 
Hy Compel Trumpet Company. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. 
Birth, ancestry, and relatives.— A bad boy and bad com- 
pany.— First trousers.— First exploits.— Has to wear a 
dress.— Cousin Sue.— Uncle Johnnie Simmons.— Not a 
pet. — House catches fire. . . . . 11-19 

CHAPTER II. 

BOYHOOD DAYS. 
First steps to infidelity.— -Frequently whipped.— Prayer not 
answered.— Baptizing sheep.— Playing at deer hunting.— 
Shot with an arrow.— George's abuse.— Cruelty of 
father. — Forced to lie.— Steals father's sugar.— Play- 
house upset.— Works in field.— George in a fight.— Plenty 
of widows . . 21-32 

CHAPTER III. 

AT SCHOOL. 
Description of schoolhouse.— First teacher.— Tom Hollo- 
way.— Sleight of hand tricks.— Quits in thirteenth 
year.— Could not write name. . . . . 33-37 

CHAPTER IV. 

APPROACHING MANHOOD. 
Father still cruel.— Severe whipping.— Bad companions.— 
Fond of riding.— One pair of boots and one suit of 
jeans a year.— Description of clothes. — Kaising pota- 
toes.— Habit of drinking contracted by stealing father's 
sugar.— Eebelling against father.— At Mr. Dossett's.— 
Kind treatment.— Father marries and aunt moves.— 



b CONTENTS. 

Drinking and card-playing.— Keturns to father's again. 
— Trouble with stepmother.— At Mr. Atkin's.— Plenty 
of whisky.— A shooting affray. — Accepts another offer 
from father 39-53 

CHAPTER V. 

DOWNWARD STEPS. 
On a spree.— Measles.— Dancing.— Gets into trouble and is 
arrested. — Plays pig. — Leaves the country. — Works for 
Mr. Hughes.— Back to father's.— Brother in a fight.— 
Popular with the girls.— Father's death. — Mischief of 
stepmother.— Trouble over the estate.— Leaves home for 
good. — Caution to girls. ..... 55-66 

CHAPTER VI. 

DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 
Twenty-one years of age. — Advice to mothers. — Proposes 
marriage.— A terrible drunkard.— Eides into a store.— 
Hurt by a horse.— Feigns to preach.— Starts for Ken- 
tucky.— Sickness and a vision.— More trouble.— Escapes 
to Missouri.— A wood-cutter.— Given up to die of con- 
sumption.— Eeturns to effect compromise.— A man is 
shot. — A low life. — Visits Xew Orleans. — Mike Long. — 
Disabled with Eheumatism.— Drowns team of mules.— 
Marriage.— Poverty and hardship. — Hires by the day.— 
Settles on farm.— Domestic troubles.— Son born.— Horse 
dealer. — At Marion fair. — Quits drinking for twelve 
months. — Eeturns to drunkenness again. — Child afflicted. 
— Call from God. — Decides with infidels and child dies. — 
A total wreck. — Attempts suicide. — Helps poor and 
orphans. ... . ... 67-1] 

CHAPTER VII. 

DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 
Meets with loss.— Trouble with sawmill men.— Lawsuit.— 
Hires for fifty cents per day.— Falls under wagon wheel. 



CONTENTS. 7 

—Mrs. J. E. Lambert.— Agitated over troubles.— Whisky 
again.— Locked up.— Falls from a fence.— Another son.— 
Child sick, but recovers.— Continues to drink heavily.— 
Whisky torture.— Takes the last drink.— Goes to meeting. 
— Willis Bunch.— Divine healing. — Prayer answered.— 
Life at about an end.— Given up to die.— Counts cost 
of being a Christian. ..... 111-136 

CHAPTER VIII. 

FROM SIN TO GRACE. 
Uneasiness.— Largest deal in life.— Decision to quit sin.— 
Troubled on account of sin.— Wonderfully convicted.— 
Illuminated with pardon. — Peace with God and man. — 
Sanctification. — Wonderfully changed. — Call to preach. — 
Tests come.— Brother C— Tobacco.— The preacher.— A 
wonderful meeting.— Healed of different diseases.— 
Taught humility. — Tested on sanctification. — Tal Merritt. 
—Pneumonia fever. — Child healed.— Must obey call to 
preach.— Disposal of property. . . . 137-174 

CHAPTER IX. 

FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 
With Baptist preacher.— Wife saved.— Tested.— Calls from 
different places.— Opposition.— Fasting.— Instructed in a 
vision. — Trying experiences. — A mob. — Nashville, Tenn. 
—Services on steamboat.— At home again.— Marion, Ky. 
—The boy preacher.— Street preaching.— Yincennes, Ind. 
—Separates from coworker.— Family sick.— Move to 
Marion, Ky.— With Methodist preacher.— The afflicted 
healed.— Carrsville, Ky 175-243 

CHAPTER X. 

INTO LARGER FIELDS. 
At Paducah, Ky.— Miracles of healing.— Mechanicsburg.— 
Newspaper reports.— Called to Metropolis, 111.— Healings 
continue. — Tent meetings. — Burned by gasoline lamp. — 



O CONTENTS. 

Loses voice. — Kosiclare, 111.— Afflicted with itch.— Young- 
est boy very sick.— God heals.— Smallpox.— Young lady 
falls dead in meeting.— Called to epidemic district.— 
Death of Tal Merritt.— Eeceives money to pay store bill. 
— Persecutions.— A book agent.— Charley goes to school 
and joins the Methodists, but is prayed out.— Family 
needs. — Baptist preacher wants miracle performed. — 
Kosetta Brown.— Mob gathers.— Newspaper libel. . 245-325 

CHAPTER XL 

WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 
First meeting with the saints. — Joined by coworkers. — On 
road to Moundsville, W. Va. — Provisions low. — Lydia 
Kriebel.— Moundsville meeting.— Back to Kentucky. — 
Camp-meeting at Dorena, Mo. — Slanderous reports. — 
Many other experiences could be given. — Eeasons for 
writing book 326-348 



INTRODUCTORY. 



I will herein try to give a sketch of my life. While 
I realize there will be some portions that will be too 
dark to put before the public, I will try to put 
enough that I trust will turn many from the ways 
of the world and from the power of Satan unto our 
God. 

I have asked God for power and wisdom to enable 
me to give my life to the public in a way that will 
be an honor to him and instrumental in the salvation 
of souls, and make men husbands to their wives, 
fathers to their children, and servants to our God. 

There will, no doubt, be many things in this sketch 
that many will criticise, and say, ' ' I would have kept 
that to myself;" but if you are one of those critics, 
my dear reader, just stop and think it is not for 
you, but for that other person; then let your mind 
run back over the past, and see if you can think of 
any one it hits. 

I know my mistakes and wrongs have been many, 
yet I realize that I am not the only man that ever 
made them. There are very few that have salvation 
enough to confess them to the public. 

Possibly this book will mention some individuals 
in a way that will make them feel offended toward 



10 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

me; but I will say here, I will shun all as much as 
I can, to bring out my rusty deeds and have respect 
to all men and women that were implicated in any 
of them, and will refrain from giving any their full 
names. I could sketch my life without giving the 
names of men and women I associated with: but 
while I was misled by many that were older than my- 
self and caused to do many a mean deed and 
thereby to be wonderfully abused when a little or- 
phan boy having no mother, and father would be- 
lieve anything any one would tell on me; and while 
many told falsehoods and I was punished for it: I 
will say to you that are yet living, the stripes have 
faded away, the gashes have healed up on my back, 
and God has healed the wounds in my heart, and I 
can say, God bless and forgive you. I know some of 
you are living yet, or were a short time ago, and I 
have met some of you since I have been preaching. 
It was not asked for, but I will say from the bottom 
of my heart / forgive all. December, 1903. 



CHAPTER I. 

EAELY KECOLLECTIONS. 



Birth, Ancestry and Eelatives.— A Bad Boy and Bad Com- 
pany.— First Trousers. — First Exploits.— Has to Wear a 
Dress.— Cousin Sue.— Uncle Johnnie Simmons.— Not a 
Pet.— House Catches Eire. 

I was born two and one-half miles north of 
Cave in Rock, Hardin County, Illinois, on the 29th 
of September, 1856. My father, Anderson Brown, 
had moved from Virginia and was one of the first 
settlers in southern Illinois. My mother died when 
I was eighteen months old. My grandparents on my 
mother's side were from Belfast, Ireland. Their 
name was Radcliffe. My grandparents on my 
father's side were from Scotland. 

When I was very small I have a faint recollection 
of seeing my aunt moving to my father's house after 
my mother's death. My uncle had left her with three 
little children. The youngest was just nine months 
older than myself; her name was Sue B. Radcliffe. 
The other two children were by my aunt's first hus- 
band, Joseph Hammonds. The oldest of the Ham- 
mond children, Sidney Ann, went to heaven in the 
year 1878. The other child's name was Sarah Jane 
(still living in Gallatin Co., 111.). My aunt's second 
11 



12 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

marriage was to my mother's brother. He left her 
about the year I was born, went to Missouri and 
married another woman; reared a large family of 
children, and died a few years ago; also his last 
wife died; but his first wife (my father's sister) 
lives yet, and also their daughter is living, and they 
are at law over his estate with his son by his last 
wife. My cousin, now Sue B. Bonard, lives at Rock- 
creek, Hardin Co., 111. Her mother lives with her, 
and is now in her 70th year, and has never married 
any more. 

I received a letter from my cousin, Mrs. Bonard, 
just before penning these lines, saying her mother is 
getting very feeble, and says she loves me as her own 
child; and I love her, for she was the nearest mother 
I ever knew. You will see from this short history 
that we had many troubles. You can also see there 
remains a love, and it was there all the time. Aunt 
was not mother, but she did the best she could for 
me under the surrounding circumstances, which you 
will see as we go along. God bless my old aunt! 
I love her still. 

I was a bad boy and had bad company. I remem- 
ber when very small I would fall down and cry un- 
til some one would come and pick me up. My father 
found out this kind of work was going on and he 
gave orders to let me lie. So I would fall down 
and look to see if some one was coming. Sometimes 
the ground would be frozen and I would lie there so 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. 13 

long that it would be muddy under me. Once I saw 
my half-sister, Mrs. Mary Moore, coming, and she did 
not go into the house until she came to see about me. 
She lifted me up, the tears running down her cheeks, 
and looked down in pity on mother's little son. She 
was a near friend of mine, and you will see that she 
came to my relief often. 

Little boys did not dress in those days like they 
do now, and the hair of a motherless boy was not 
cut off until in a sad plight and well filled with bugs. 
I will try and describe my first trousers. The waist 
and all were made in one piece, and buttoned up 
the back. They were made of home-made jeans and 
colored with white walnut bark. 

Now for my first exploits. After my trousers had 
begun to get old and the worse for wear, I was 
playing with my pup and would carry him up the 
hill from the cabin door where we lived, set him 
down and run back to the house, about fifteen steps. 
The pup was pretty fat as well as the boy, and when 
I would throw him down sometimes he would light 
on his back and I would get the start of him and he 
would not catch up until I would fall down, then 
the pup would grab my clothes and would almost 
undress me; then my chum, cousin Sue, would come 
to my rescue and button up my clothe®. But we 
would keep up the fun with the pup until the clothes 
got the worst of it, and my aunt noticed I did not 
have waist or trousers suitable to wear in company. 



14 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

The next day there was a big speaking. Father 
said we would all go. He was informed I did not 
have any trousers to wear. He said that one of 
Sue's dresses should be put on me and he would 
take that pup along and give it away. All was ar- 
ranged. I kept behind the old clapboard door until 
my father called me out to go. We got into the 
old tar-bucket ox-wagon, and started to Cave in 
Rock to the speaking, taking the last trip with the 
pup. 

We arrived at the appointed place, where a large 
crowd had already assembled, and I woke up to the 
fact that I was a great big boy with my cousin's 
red calico dress on. After Father was called upon 
to assist I was pulled out of the wagon. My aunt 
took me by one hand and my cousin by the other, 
and I advanced toward the crowd. Such a sight now 
would be noticed like a street parade. After the 
speaking was over and I had been called a girl un- 
til I could scarcely look up, I was notified that father 
was taking my dog off. I looked up and saw him 
deposited into the care of another man. It is enough 
to say I felt as if I was broken up, and would have 
cried as loud as any boy would in those days, of 
the same age I was, but I knew if I did father would 
have whipped, not the red dress, but the boy, right 
there before everybody. I crawled into the wagon, 
laid down in the fodder, and as soon as I could for- 
get my trouble I was asleep. I did not know any- 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. 15 

thing more about the conversation until I was wak- 
ened by screams ; found the family, ox-wagon and all 
in the middle of a big pond of water; the wagon-bed 
was full of water and the oxen swimming. It was 
a very large pond and we were in the middle of it, 
the bed about to float off the wagon. The people that 
lived near the pond came to our relief. Their name 
was Rutledge. Some of the family are living yet— 
Mrs. A. Dutton, Hester, 111. ; Vol Rutledge, Eldorado, 
111.; Eps Rutledge, Portageville, Mo., and others 
whose whereabouts I do not know. However, they 
could do nothing but stand and watch the results 
of going by a pond with a load of people drawn by 
a pair of oxen on a hot day. But we made a good 
landing, as it was a good bank. We were welcome 
visitors to the Rutledge family, as they were good 
people. They took us all into the house where a 
good dinner and dry clothing was provided for us 
all. After dinner my cousin's red dress was dried 
the same as the other clothing; the oxen were rested, 
and I redressed and we returned home. 

I had a great many acquaintances and playmates 
and a brother, but my double cousin Sue Radcliffe 
and I were near the same age and we always shared 
each other's troubles. It seems strange to write of 
my boyhood exploits, which seem like they happened 
a few days ago. Now my son Anderson Brown, 
eleven years old, comes in with a letter from my 
cousin Sue. who states that she will leave her home 



16 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

in Hardin Co., HI., seven miles back of Elizabeth- 
town, for my home in Hickman, Ky., to spend my 
45th birthday with me and family, which will be 
the 29th of this month— next Sunday. Her letter 
reads:— 

Sept. 20, 1901. 
W. M. Brown, 

Hickman, Ky. 

Dear Cousin:— I received your letter yesterday 
and will leave here next Tuesday, if God is willing, 
and take the train at Paducah for Hickman. If 
there should be any delay I will wire you. It pleases 
me better to meet you at your own home, for there 
I can be with the whole family. I want to see every 
one. God bless and keep you until I come. 

We are all well. I will answer the rest in per- 
son. Yours, 

Mrs. S. B. Bonard. 

So strange ! Forty years but a week ! 

My father was a great man to talk. He would go 
to old uncle Johnnie Simmon's, a good old man that 
lived at the top of the bluff that we lived at the 
foot of, and talk sometimes in the winter until 
after midnight. They were good people (old-time 
Carolinians), and brother George and I would often 
go up there with father, and stay until he would 
talk all the Simmons family to sleep. Then he would 
rouse us up and start for home, about half a mile 
down a rocky hill, buoyed up by promises from 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. 17 

father that we might catch a possum, as we 
passed a grove of persimmon trees on the way, and 
so we did often; but all the promises did not keep 
me from falling down. After I was a great big 
boy, calling on the girls, father would tell that he 
raised me on my abdomen between our house and 
Mr. Simmons'. Mr. Simmons and his good old com- 
panion, who was so much like a mother to me, have 
gone across the river of death, also their sons James 
and William and daughter Myrun are gone. Jerry, 
I am told, is at the Soldiers' Home in Illinois. Their 
daughter Jane, who is now the wife of Solomon 
Davis, lives near Cave in Rock, 111., near where she 
was born. Very few old patriarchs are yet living 
that lived there forty years ago, and but few of my 
schoolmates. As I pass through the country and see 
the ground cleared, distances that seemed so long 
when a child, seem but short distances now. 

As you will see before we get through this sketch, 
my father was not much of a man to pet his children, 
but seemed to want to put an old man's head on 
a boy's shoulders. I have before stated that he would 
take me to the neighbors with him, and I thought 
I ought to go all the time. I remember one day he 
was saddling his horse for a journey. I got ready 
to go. Father mounted his horse and rode away. I 
raised a row, and he went out of sight. I thought 
I had a good chance to take a cry, but to my great 
astonishment I heard a noise, and on looking up 



18 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

saw my father coming back. I was not certain 
whether he was coming after me or not, but was 
certain he had business with me, but whether it was 
for me to go with him or not I did not know. About 
the time he dismounted and I saw the dogwood limb 
in his hand I was satisfied there was trouble just 
ahead. I remember we had just had a fire that came 
near burning all the family up that were at home. 
I had lost one of my shoes and had on one of grand- 
mother's old ones, and I felt that my only friend 
had turned against me, also knew how a dogwood 
limb felt applied by a mad father. This is just the 
beginning, as you will soon see. When he had com- 
pleted the job and made me promise I would not 
cry after him any more, he mounted the horse and 
left a poor little motherless boy with a smarting 
back and a bleeding heart, afraid to see night come, 
afraid the house would catch on fire again and we 
would all be burned up. 

My reasons for being afraid were that I had heard 
ghost, witch, and robber stories. Our house had just 
caught fire the night before and father was not at 
home. It was a miracle how God saved us. We 
children had carried a lot of sugar tree limbs and 
laid them in a corner of our old log-cabin, which was 
ceiled overhead with four-foot boards, riven out with 
a frow, and the cracks of the cabin were daubed 
with mud, and boards were nailed over them. The 
single-barreled shotgun was just over the kindling 



EARLY RECOLLECTIONS. 19 

and a little trunk sat near it. The kindling caught 
fire, and soon the boards on the wall were blazing. 
The flames ran up and around the gun, burning the 
stock in two at the breech. The gun fell and fired, 
which woke my aunt The sad sight was her mother 
in bed asleep, partially paralyzed, unable to help her- 
self, and five sleeping children, all in the old log- 
cabin, and it on fire, with no one to do anything but 
my aunt. She looked at the trunk, saw it was on fire, 
and knowing there was a powder-horn inside with a 
quarter of a pound of powder in it, she ran and 
snatched the horn out from the burning books and 
papers, and threw it into a bucket of water; then 
began to get grandmother and the children out. She 
put all to carrying water that could, and she fought 
fire (certainly in the name of Jesus) and accom- 
plished the most wonderful victory I have ever known 
in putting out a burning building. When the fire 
was out and the powder-horn examined, the wooden 
plug in the end of the horn was burned to a coal 
and fell out when handled. It was the mercies of 
God. If the gun had not fired in one minute longer 
the powder would have exploded and the whole 
family would have woke up in eternity. 

Father came home the next morning. I was the 
first to meet him and told him in a whisper what 
had happened. Although aunt had told me it was 
caused by our carelessness, I could not help but 
believe some one had fired the house, trying to kill 
father for his money. I had been told his life 
was in danger. 



CHAPTER II. 

BOYHOOD DAYS. 



First Steps to Infidelity.— Frequently Whipped.— Prayer Not 
Answered. — Baptizing Sheep.— Playing at Deer Hunting. — 
Shot with an Arrow.— George's Abuse.— Cruelty of Father. 
— Forced to Lie. — Steals Father's Sugar.— Playhouse Up- 
set.— Works in Field.— George in a Fight.— Plenty of 
Widows. 

I do not want to worry your patience with my 
boyhood days, but you will see before you get 
through this book I am giving you the first steps to 
infidelity. As you read on you will see my father 
was a moral man. I never saw him drunk and never 
heard him use profane language. He never made any 
profession of salvation, but was a strict freemason. 
My aunt was a Baptist and had seasons of rejoicing, 
but at other times you would not have taken her to 
be a professor, and would have had to look on the 
church-book for her name, yet in that day aunt was 
considered a good Christian woman and a good neigh- 
bor; father a good man and a good citizen. But I 
see they both made mistakes in raising their children. 
They did enough whipping, as you will see, and you 
will no doubt think I exaggerate in some of my 
statements. My aunt lives yet at Rockcreek, 111., and 
I trust will live to read this book and state to the 
public whether true. Besides there are a few others 
21 



22 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

that still live and are acquainted with me and my 
raising. It was father's rule if aunt had to whip 
me when he was gone, he would whip me when he 
returned, except when I would gain the sympathy 
of aunt, and she would insist she had whipped me 
enough. 

I would hear people talk about my mother and 
what a good woman she was. My half-sister Mary 
would put her arms around her mother's baby boy 
and give me the idea that if mother had lived I 
would have had a better time. These things made 
me want to see mother. One time after I had re- 
ceived what I termed cruel treatment, I went up 
into the woods under the bluff, just at dark, and got 
on my knees and asked God to send mother there so 
I could tell her how I had been whipped. I staid 
there until quite dark, and what was so peculiar 
about it, I was so afraid after dark. But I had seen 
my aunt on her knees, and my older cousin had told 
me she was praying to God and God would give her 
what she asked for. So I tried it and failed— lost 
confidence in prayer. God knew what was best for 
me, yet I was inclined to preach, and when other 
children came to play with us we would have meeting 
and I would be the preacher. At another time one of 
our neighbors, named Norris, had a big gang of sheep 
that bothered about our place. Brother George caught 
several of them one day after we had been to bap- 
tizing, and took them near a pool of water that was 



BOYHOOD DAYS. 23 

about waist deep. I preached, then my brother 
helped me and we would hold the sheep up on their 
hind feet and walk them in the water. I would say 
the ceremony that I heard the preacher say, and we 
would baptize them, lead them out and tie them up 
until we got them all baptized. Then we had a fall- 
ing out like the rest of the preachers and church- 
members. We tied them together by twos with bark 
and set our dog on them and started them through 
the woods to their home. Some of them hung up in the 
woods and staid there until Mrs. Norris found them. 
But this cruel treatment did not keep them away. 
Afterwards we turned them in a field of cockle-burs, 
and they staid there for weeks before they were 
found. When they were brought out you could not 
tell what they were by the color, and they could 
scarcely walk. Of course we denied putting them in 
the field, and people could not prove it, but the sheep 
never bothered any more. 

In my boyhood days there were a great many deer 
in that country, and the Wilson brothers would come 
over from Kentucky and camp and make deer drives. 
Some would take the hounds and drive and others 
would stand with gun when the deer would pass, and 
shoot the deer as the hounds would run them through. 
My brother being two years older than myself knew 
more about deer hunting than I did. We had by 
this time got us another pup and trained him to take 
our track and hunt us up. Brother proposed to me 



24 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

that we would go out in the orchard in the weeds 
where the stock had made paths through and have a 
deer hunt. He had made a crossbow, a piece of a 
plank cut out in shape of a gun, which would shoot 
an arrow almost like a bullet. So he had me to be 
the deer and he stood on the crossing. So I started ; 
he put the pup on my track and I ran through the 
weeds a while, and ran through the crossing where 
my brother was stationed, anxious to try his cross- 
bow. As I galloped through he pulled the trigger 
and down came the game. It was not a deer, but a 
boy. The arrow struck me in the temple and stuck 
in about an inch. I screamed; my brother ran up 
and pulled the arrow out of my head, and the blood 
flowed freely. It scared me nearly to death. He 
made me several promises, trying to get me to hush, 
but it looked too much like a dead boy for me to 
hush. He would raise me to my feet; I would fall 
and scream the louder. The alarm reached the house. 
Sister Mary had just come ; she knew I was in trouble. 
She came running, but my brother was off in the 
weeds. She saw the blood and the hole in my head 
as large as her finger. She did not know how deep 
it was, and I didn't have sense enough to tell her 
what had happened, and my brother was not there 
to tell. I was carried to the house and my wound 
was dressed. I gave the state of affairs; my brother 
was convicted by the family and sentence was passed 
on him, which was worse than ten days in the work- 



BOYHOOD DAYS. 25 

shop, that was to tell father. He knew what was 
next. I knew I had to keep shy of him or he would 
make me tell father a lie when he came, or give me 
another round. So I was kept in. Father came and 
the case was laid before him. My brother was called 
and there was no further trial. His clothes were 
taken off and the penalty enforced, which covered 
his back with stripes and gashes. He did not whip 
the clothes, he whipped the boy. 

In the course of two or three days I got off my 
guard. My head had got better and I had cried 
over brother's whipping as much as he had, for I 
didn't want him whipped for anything he would 
do to me. He had my sympathy and got me out to 
the barn. We were having a good time talking. I 
had forgotten the past, but he had not. As we stood 
under the shed by the log barn, he looked at me and 
said, "What made you tell on me and get me whip- 
ped V He then grabbed me by the hair of the head 
and landed me against the barn. The bark was 
peeled off the logs and there was a little knot on 
the log, which stuck in my head opposite the other 
wound. I was scared. As before, he tried to make 
me hush, but I cried the louder. The alarm reached 
the house; my other wound was dressed; brother 
tried, and found guilty. When father came home he 
gave another punishment. The scar still shows on 
my head and looks as though I had been shot through 
the head. I knew the time would soon come that 



26 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I would have to take more abuse, for he was mad 
at me for telling the truth about the trouble. He 
would hurt me very bad some times trying some proj- 
ect, and would threaten me and make me tell a 
story about it. I loved him better than myself. You 
will see before we get through that my father was 
very cruel and would give as severe a whipping for 
a little offense as a big one, and this caused me to 
tell many a story to shun my brother. When one got 
a whipping the other got it, too, if he were not hurt 
too bad. 

I will give an account of my first stealing. I have 
said my father never got drunk to my certain 
knowledge, but he kept whisky for morning dram, 
and when I was small he got $1.00 worth of loaf 
sugar to sweeten his whisky. He kept it in an 
old trunk that was not locked. My brother had 
been taken to the field to work. My aunt was teach- 
ing my cousin to hand thread through the slay, 
putting a piece of cloth in the loom. I was lone- 
some and the old trunk was under the bed. I knew 
the sugar was there. I wanted it so bad I slipped 
a lump out and went out to the old wheat granary, 
some fifteen steps from the house, where a log chain 
hung. I commenced to rattle the chain and eat 
the sugar. I rattled the chain to keep them from 
hearing me in the house chew the sugar. Although 
fifteen steps away I thought they could hear me, 
for it sounded so loud to me. You see it was my 



BOYHOOD DAYS. 27 

conscience hurting me. When my consin was at 
leisure I told her of my discovery and went and 
made another haul and got a lump for her. We went 
to the granary and I told her to help me rattle 
the chain or they would hear her eat the sugar. 
She was nine months older than I and had a little 
more sense. She got tickled at my foolish idea. It 
was a good joke and she could not keep it. So she 
played a trick on me and got me to get another lump, 
and while I rattled the chain to eat it she told the 
joke. To my great astonishment I looked and saw 
the whole family looking and laughing at me. I was 
asked by father what I was doing. I told him I 
was playing with the chain. "What else are you 
doing?" I saw she was in the gang and the rest 
of the work hands, as it was dinner time, and I was 
given away and caught in my first attempt to steal; 
but it was so funny and the work hands begged for 
me, so I was excused, and I promised to steal no 
more sugar. But the sugar did not last long, as 
there were four other children who had found out 
as well as myself that it was there and the trunk 
was not locked. 

As I have told you, my brother was two years 
older than myself, and consequently had to go into 
the field before me; so my cousin Sue and I were 
left alone. My other two cousins were large enough 
that aunt had them helping her about her work. 
The wheat granary was a nice playhouse. It sat 



28 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

on the hillside by the path that led to the stable. 
Dinner time came on. It was very hot weather. 
Father, brother, and hired men came to dinner. The 
horses were very hot. Father would have them given 
fodder to eat until the men ate dinner. While 
they were eating my cousin and I were having a 
nice time playing in the wheat granary. Dinner 
was over and my father sent my brother out to 
feed the horses their corn. He was mad because he 
had to work and we could play; so as he passed 
the old granary he .caught under the edge of the 
upper side and upset it. Away went boy, girl, 
granary, dishes, and the whole business, rolling down 
the steep hill. Of course we didn't know what 
happened. We had heard of the earthquakes, 
which were very common in that time, and we had 
heard it said the world was coming to an end. 
We didn't know which had happened, but had the 
least thought we would see another human face. 
When we got out George was gone. 

Now the time soon rolled around that I had to 
be in the field and do what I could, or what they 
could make me do. One day father was gone and 
Randolph Edmonds was running an old-fashioned 
cultivator. It was made in the shape of a harrow, 
and the teeth were little shovels about the size of 
a man's hand. After the corn was ploughed over 
they would run across the ridge or plough the 
other way with the cultivator. So Dolph ran the 



BOYHOOD DAYS. ' 29 

cultivator and George and I uncovered the corn after 
him. Dolph found a silver fifty-cent piece, which was 
quite a curiosity to us boys, as paper money was 
all the go then ; at least silver was scarce. He gave 
the fifty-cent piece to my brother, who was very 
proud of it. A boy named Joe 'Griffin had passed 
by going to our house for milk, so brother wanted 
him to know he had the money and watched the 
road for the boy to pass back. He came along, my 
brother hailed him, and told him he would bet him 
fifty cents he could whip him. The boy told him 
he didn't have time to fight. My brother called him 
a coward and said he would give him fifty cents 
to whip him. He got over the fence and into the 
road before the boy, so he could not go on, and 
the boy concluded he had just as well fight. So 
they fell on a hillside with Joe Griffin on top of 
brother. I showed unfair play and turned him over 
with brother on top; but Joe turned him again and 
over and over they went down the hill till they rolled 
against the fence with Joe on top. So Joe gave him 
a good pounding, and after George said enough Joe 
got off. 

George would not pay the money. Dolph had 
witnessed the fight and said, "George, be a man and 
give up the money ; ' ' but he would not do it. Joe had 
a stepmother, who was very cross to him, and she 
was calling him, as he had staid over his time. He 
knew it was a whipping for him. He picked up 



30 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

his milk and went on crying. When father came 
home Dolph gave him the case just as it was. Father 
gave George a whipping for not giving the boy the 
money as he had agreed to do, and sent him to 
take the money to Joe, and sent me along to see 
that he did so. So before we arrived at the house 
George said to me, "I do hate to give him this 
money; I am going to give it to Mrs. Griffin, and 
you tell father I gave it to Joe." I tried to persuade 
him to do as father had told him, but he said no, 
and made me promise to tell a lie for him. So 
we got to the house and there was Joe carrying 
water. He did not have on any pants. His step- 
mother had given him a severe whipping for stay- 
ing so long when he went after milk. George gave 
the fifty cents to Mrs. Griffin and told her there 
was some money. We went back home. Father 
asked the particulars, what Joe was doing, and if 
the money was given to him. We both told him it 
was. In a few days the old lady fell in company 
with my aunt and she told aunt what good coffee 
she got with the money George gave her. Father 
called me and I acknowledged we lied, and we were 
whipped; but it seemed to kindle the anger in 
George's heart, and in place of getting better he 
grew worse, and we soon came to the conclusion that 
we were forsaken and had no friends and had as 
well see our fun. 

Now hard times come. We have informed you 



BOYHOOD DAYS. 31 

that father was a widower. There were plenty of 
widows, and father was very popular with them; 
but it happened they were all poor and had to 
work for a living, and father would give them all 
work. I thought there were some of them that would 
like to be called Mrs. Brown. There was Mrs. C, 
Mrs. M., and Mrs. A., and there came a time when 
a feeling arose and aunt got disgusted. Mrs. A. 
and Mrs. H. were carrying knives for each other, 
and father had trouble giving them work in differ- 
ent fields, but Mrs. A. gained the day. She soon 
began to take cows to milk and the cows never came 
back any more. Aunt would talk before us boys. 
Mrs. H. would tell us how Mrs. A. ought to be 
killed. Finally provisions began to go and we had 
very common food to eat. We had biscuit on Sun- 
day morning, or when some one came on a visit. 
Soon the time came that father and aunt did not 
get along well. Father would just raise a small 
crop of wheat for bread and take it to Wilson's mill 
to get it ground up; then he would secretly take 
it to Mr. James Dosset's and store it away. When 
he would go to roll logs or plant corn and have 
hands, he would go or send and get a little flour, 
and would always have it weighed. I was sent 
one time and he told me to tell Mrs. Dosset to 
weigh me twenty-five pounds. She said she would 
not do it, that Mrs. A. got her flour there and did 
not weigh it; so she gave me what I could carry 



32 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

in a pillow-case. I told father before aunt, so that 
let out the secret and made more trouble. 

Mrs. A. was very good to me. Father would 
send me on errands there and she would come to 
our house. She would buy me a knife when I would 
go with her to get her pension, and would give me 
some good things to eat. By these kind acts she 
won my love. Mrs. C. and Mrs. H. also treated me 
well, and Mrs. M. thought I was a great boy. That 
is the way they would cast lots for my love, and 
I guess wanted to show to father what a good step- 
mother they would make. But George was older 
than I and would see farther than I could, and he 
thought that our trouble was caused by the widows, 
while I knew some of them were innocent. Mrs. C, 
who yet lives, was a mother to me, and feels near 
yet. The rest are gone. I will show you on farther 
who were my enemies. 



CHAPTER III. 

AT SCHOOL. 



Description of Schoolhouse.— First Teacher.— Tom Holloway.— 
Sleight of Hand Tricks.— Quits in Thirteenth Year.— Could 
Not Write Name. 

Now I will give you a sketch oi my school-days 
and a description of the house in which I got my 
education. It was a log house about eighteen by 
twenty with a stone chimney in one end, a door 
in one side, a window extending along two-thirds 
of the other side, and a long plank put up under 
the window on pins. This plank was our writing- 
desk. The seat was a half of a log with the flat 
side up, and as our feet did not reach the floor 
we could stick our toes in the cracks of the house. 
The name of the schoolhouse was Tyer and was 
on my father's farm. My first recollection is that 
Mr. John Tyer was the first teacher that taught 
there. I think he is living at Cave in Rock, 111. 
Black was the name of my first teacher. He would 
lie down and go to sleep and we would go out and 
play. My brother George was influenced by Mrs. 
L. to fill his whiskers with cockle-burs, which he. 
did, and got a whipping, but I think the teacher 
staid awake better. 

3 33 



34 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

We had another teacher who carried an old-tim9 
navy pistol. George was persuaded to kill him when 
he went to whip him. George got an old butcher- 
knife. The wood was gone from the handle, and 
he made me turn the grindstone and ground it 
sharp. He got a strap to put around him for a 
belt and stuck the old knife down in the belt under 
his coat. He made a confidant of a boy; showed 
him his knife and told him his plans. When school 
was taken up this confidant took a seat by George 
and pretty soon got into a racket with him and man- 
aged to get the knife to fall ; then we were in another 
scrape, which wound up in losing the knife and 
getting a severe whipping. There were a good many 
scenes similar to this. 

Brother George and I were the pick until Tom 
Holloway came in from Indiana. They turned on 
him; I was as bad as the rest. Tom and I had 
some trouble one day and I offered to go out to 
a big sink-hole and go down into the hole to fight 
Tom with clubs and give him the first lick. He 
said he would go with me by myself and do that. 
We cut our clubs and went. He drew back to hit 
me, and as I looked into his eye I saw murder. 
I thought it was the best place to kill a person 
I ever saw and he had the best chance to kill ever I 
had met with. I said, "Hold on there; talk this 
over, I have nothing against you; let us not fight.' ' 
He said all right, he was willing to quit if I would 



AT SCHOOL. 35 

let him alone, and I assured him I never would 
bother him again. We went back to the house good 
friends and have been from that day to this so 
far as I know, and the other boys let up on him, 
too ; however, he would get into trouble the same 
as the rest of us. 

We had a teacher that taught us how to play 
sleight of hand tricks, such as run a wire as long 
as our finger up our nose and put another in our 
hair in the back of our heads and make people 
think we put the wire through our heads. Tom 
Holloway was practising with his slate pencil in 
time of school, as well as myself, to see how long a 
pencil we could run up our nose. Tom went to 
sneeze and sucked his pencil up his nose. He 
bounced around like a chicken with its head cut 
off and grabbed at his nose. As he stuttered h.a 
could not tell what was the matter. The teacher 
being a sort of doctor as well as showman ran 
to his assistance, but did not know how to diagnose 
his case. Tom succeeded in pulling the pencil out 
of his nose. The teacher had trouble in trying to 
make us quit playing the tricks he had taught 
us. One day after he had whipped several of us, 
he said he would whip anybody that laughed at 
the one that got a whipping. We commenced and 
kept him busy whipping until time to dismiss school. 
He had no recitations for a half day. After school 
we filed up in line along the road and informed him 



36 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

if he showed up next morning, we would cut the 
ice and put him in the pond. He did not show up 
any more to that schoolhouse to my knowledge. 

We had another teacher by the name of Clay 
Mot. I thought I would try him. We had a good 
many blue and red thumb cards, and as we were 
all around the fire one morning, I commenced and 
painted my face, and then looked over my book and 
made faces, which caused the scholars to laugh. The 
teacher called me out and gave me water to wash 
my face and his handkerchief to dry it and then 
he gave me a whipping. By the time he was through 
with me one of the other boys had painted his face 
and the teacher settled with him the same as he 
did with me. We kept this up for quite a while, 
until he commenced to burn the cards. The larger 
boys took sides with us and he was barred out of 
the schoolhouse. The teacher went and brought his 
father with him, who made his way through with 
an ax. He then guarded the door until his son 
whipped every one. The school was closed with a 
lawsuit. 

Now, reader, I do not want to worry you with my 
school-days, but I think it will be interesting to some 
who have not gone to a backwoods country school. 
I shall not give you all my experience in school life. 
While it was short it was wonderful. I quit school 
in my thirteenth year. I got too smart to go, or 
did not have sense enough; however, some of my 



AT SCHOOL. 37 

schoolmates have made teachers, lawyers, doctors, 
some murderers and some infidels. I am the only 
preacher I know of in the whole outfit. I was not 
the only mean boy that went to school. 

One day we decided to tear down the chimney, 
and, like anarchists, we put it on Marcellus Tyer. 
He made an excuse to go out after school had taken 
up. I could hear him prying around. Finally the 
chimney began to tumble and made quite a noise. 
Teacher and scholars ran out, but Cell had his rail 
fastened and failed to get it away, as we had 
planned. He ran some distance but was caught. 
Just a part of the chimney fell, but it was so near 
down that it had to be thrown down. I feel safe 
in saying that there was more hair pulled, blood 
shed, and whipping done in the short time I 
went to school than has been in the past twenty 
years at school. I will close my school-days, 
not that I have given half, but there are other 
points I want to put before you. Now I will say 
when I quit school I could not write my name, 
but it was not all my fault. I just wanted to give 
you a brief sketch of my boyhood days now and 
then. 



CHAPTER IV. 

APPROACHING MANHOOD. 



Father Still Cruel.— Severe Whipping.— Bad Companions.— 
Fond of Biding.— One Pair of Boots and One Suit of Jeans 
a Year.— Description of Clothes.— Eaising Potatoes.— Habit 
of Drinking Contracted by Stealing Father's Sugar.— 
Kebelling against Father.— At Mr. Dossett's.— Kind Treat- 
ment.— Father Marries and Aunt Moves.— Drinking and 
Card-playing.— Eeturns to Father's Again.— Trouble with 
Stepmother.— At Mr. Atkin's.— Plenty of Whisky.— A 
Shooting Affray. — Accepts Another Offer from Father. 

As I have told yon, my mother was dead and 
my father was a cruel father. My cousin Sue said 
she thought he would lose his mind when he got 
mad. But what was strange to her, her mother and 
other good people did not take our part and put 
the law in force against him, but would tell him 
everything that was calculated to make him whip us. 
I have scars on me that were put there for lies that 
were told on me. 

One time my father went off and left brother 
George and I to pick up corn in the field, which 
the horses had pulled off, and we were to carry it 
up to the hog-pen near E. C. Wingate's and feed 
the hogs and carry two baskets to the barn to feed 
the horses. The first load we carried to the hogs 



40 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

George proposed we would go in swimming. I said, 
"No, father will whip us." "Well," he said, "we 
will get whipped anyway," which I will say was 
about true. So into the pond he went. I staid out 
and tried to get him to come out and go to work. 
Finally my alarm reached the Wingate family. I 
saw Emma Wingate and her sister Mary coming. 
I told my brother. He came out and ran into the 
woods and hid behind a tree. They took his clothes 
and ran to the house. George started after them 
and Mr. Boyd and Mr. Wingate brought the clothes 
out and told him they would tell father. We were 
sitting on the hog-pen talking about the trouble that 
was just ahead. George jumped on a hog and it 
ran into the pond. He never stopped until he had 
rode eighteen head. He lost his hat and had his 
clothes on. I never was in the pond, but we staid 
there till dark, then started out into the field to do 
our half day's work by moonlight. We heard 
father's voice and Emma Boyd with him. Emma 
had watched and stopped him as he passed her 
father's and we heard her tell we were both riding 
the hogs with our clothes on. We carried our baskets 
to the pen and emptied them and were filling them 
to take to the barn. We heard father calling us. 
We went and he met us with a handful of hick- 
ories. George was in front. Father asked him 
where his hat was. He told him he lost it in the 
pond. He said he fell in trying to get his hat. 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 41 

Father then applied the hickories, which had several 
branches similar to a cat-o-nine-tails. I tell you 
that the blood ran when he got through with him. 
Then he came after me. I told him I was not in the 
pond. He said I was telling him a lie. George said 
I was not in the pond, but he would not believe us. 
He had a fair chance at my body, which he cruelly 
cut in gashes for five minutes. Then he turned on 
George again and I stood and trembled until he 
came at me again and said, "Were you in the 
pond?" I said, "No, sir, I was not." He gave me 
another round, and then my brother another, and 
then to me again. I said, "Father, please take your 
knife and cut my throat and do not punish me 
any longer trying to make me tell a lie." He called 
me an impudent villain and gave me another round. 
We then went to the house and to bed without any 
supper. When we awoke next morning father was 
up and had his hickories ready. He informed us 
he was going to whip us every morning until we 
acknowledged I was in the pond. He kept his 
promise till one morning we arose while he was 
asleep and thought he would forget it that morn- 
ing. He took us and started to work, as we thought, 
but he had not forgotten his promise. He took down 
some switches that he had hid and commenced. Aunt 
had had a private talk with us and asked if I 
was in the pond. We both told her I was not and 
told her how it was. So she went over to Mr. Win- 



42 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

gate's and told Mrs. W. that father was about to 
beat us to death trying to make us acknowledge I 
was in the pond, that her daughter Emma told him 
I was. She said I was not, and to tell father it was 
Emma's lie. But father thought it was aunt trying 
to clear us; so the whipping went on morning and 
night for a week. He was whipping us one morn- 
ing in the orchard and aunt was on her knees under 
an apple tree about thirty yards away praying, when 
I heard Mrs. Wingate saying, ' ' Anderson Brown, you 
old devil, I will prosecute you. Willis was not in 
the pond, and I am going to have you indicted for 
the way you have been whipping those boys." He 
told us to put on our clothes and go to work, and 
he went, and we had a few days' rest. 

Now, reader, I expect you think this is exaggera- 
tion, but my aunt and Sue Bonard live at or near 
Rockcreek, 111. I do not write this in any disre- 
spect to my father, or any one else, but to show 
people what mistakes have been made in life and 
to warn parents not to whip their children for what 
everybody says. I did love my father, although this 
statement is true. When my brother would plan 
to run away to get out of punishment I would not 
go and would beg him out of the notion. 

We had some bad companions, and they had a 
little of what we had much of. Bill Lyons and my 
brother and I used to get together and lay our plans 
and then start to business. One day we killed 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 43 

twenty-one goslings for Mrs. Wingate and put them 
in a hollow tree. Another time we caught Wingate 's 
cow in Edwards' field and tied her tail to a grape- 
vine and tormented her till we got tired and then 
left her tied in the thicket. Father and Mr. Ed- 
wards came to see why we did not come to dinner 
and we all received a good whipping. The other 
boy ran away, but George and I stood it a few years 
longer. 

•George and I were quite fond of riding, and we 
would plan through the week for a ride on Sunday. 
Father was sick and the doctor said he had a close 
call for eternity. Sunday morning we had our feed- 
ing done by the time breakfast was ready. After 
we ate we were watching for a chance to get off. 
Father was very low, but he ordered us to get our 
books and study them and not leave the place. I 
sat in one door and George in the other, and when 
father went to sleep we put our books down and 
away we went and spent some time riding a calf. 
Two of our cousins were sent after us and told us 
there were a number of people there looking for 
father to die. When we got to the house father 
called George back to the bed and slapped his jaws, 
then said for me to come. He slapped me and sent 
us to feed the horses. We thought there was not 
much danger of him dying, as he slapped us about 
as hard as he ever did. This is true, and more, but 
I will not worry you. I could give enough of such 



44 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

scrapes as these to make a large book, but I will 
hasten on to where I rebelled against my punish- 
ment and left home. 

It was father's plan to get us one pair of boots 
a year, and in order that they should last through 
the winter he would not let us put them on till 
Christmas. We would wear any old shoes we could 
get till Christmas. One winter my toes were out 
on the ground and a big snow fell, and I begged 
father to let me put on my boots. He said I would 
fall down. I told him if I did I would pull them 
off. He let me put them on, but my feet were 
frost-bitten and I fell down. When I came in 
father asked me if I fell down. As I did not want 
to pull the boots off I told him a story. He went 
out and found the place where I fell. Then came 
more trouble as well as frozen feet. So you see 
how I was driven to tell a story. Parents, be care- 
ful how you teach your children. 

We had a new suit of jeans once a year. We 
commenced to complain about our dress as we be- 
gan to go in company, and our clothes were of 
such a style we were made fun of. I will give 
you a description of our clothes. Our pants were 
brown or blue jeans and made large enough for a 
man, with one pocket. Our suspenders were knit 
of white yarn, and shirts were homemade linsey in 
winter, and for summer coarse factory shirts. Never 
more than two at a time. Our coats were jeans, 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 45 

but they were made nice. They were always a good 
fit and the only nice clothing we had to wear. 

One time my father sent me to the barn after 
some seed-corn. I was longer than father thought 
I ought to be. As I came back I saw he had a 
locust sprout in his hand about three feet long 
with thorns on it. I began to beg more than com- 
mon, but he whipped me. Beader, I can not ex- 
plain the feeling, and I fear you will doubt the 
statement, but I refer you to my aunt. That night 
when I pulled my clothing loose from the sores and 
went to bed with my father, I cried. My aunt came 
and asked the trouble. I told her and she took me 
out and put me in her bed. 

Now the time fully came when we rebelled against 
our father. He offered to let us clear a piece of 
ground and said he would furnish the potatoes and 
give us all the potatoes we would raise on the 
ground. When we hauled our potatoes off, I found 
George had given a lien on them to the merchant 
and it took his half and $7.00 of mine to pay his 
store bill. I only had $30.00 for my winter and 
summer work. Father took me to town with him 
and I bought my first suit of clothes and one gal- 
lon of whisky. I had contracted the habit of drink- 
ing by stealing father's whisky. Father tried to 
stop me, but I rebelled. George left home. I soon 
got unruly and father undertook to whip me and 
I fought him and he ordered me to leave. I left 



46 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and he advertised us and forbade any person letting 
us come in their house. We went back home and 
father told us he would give us half the money 
we would make cutting and hauling cord-wood. He 
did not let us have the money. He said the wood 
was his and we were his too. This made some more 
trouble, and George left again. I did not leave for 
two reasons: first, I loved my father, and he was 
getting old and I wanted to help him make a liv- 
ing, and second, I did not know where to go. Father 
had advertised me and people were afraid to keep 
me. I worked ahead all summer and as soon as 
the crops were laid by we had trouble and I decided 
to leave. A great deal of the trouble was caused 
by the widow A. George and I had forbidden her 
coming on the place. 

I went to Mr. Dosset's. He and father had been 
the best of friends. Mr. Dosset had lost his first 
wife and had married a young wife. They lived on 
a farm adjoining my father's. I told Mr. Dosset 
that father had driven me off. He took me in his 
arms and said he would keep me. His wife also 
welcomed me, and they got me some new clothes 
and fixed me up, and I was seeing the best times 
of my life; plenty to eat and a fine horse to ride, 
and I was the only pet they had except a pup 
and a cat, and I was petted the most. But one day 
Bill Lyon and John S. came along riding some fine 
horses and told what a good time they had been 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 47 

having and said they had been sent down to hire 
hands and would give $18.00 a month. So Tom 
Leeper and I agreed to go. I went and told Mr. 
and Mrs. Dosset. They begged me not to go, but 
I went. When we reached the place it was not what 
I expected. We staid two nights and left for home. 
We came to Mr. Wingate's. They lived a quarter 
of a mile from Mr. Dosset 's. They did not seem 
very glad to see us. We had not had any dinner 
and walked all day and had no supper. I tell you 
it was the saddest time in my life. I could hear my 
father and Mr. Dosset call the stock and hogs. I 
knew they had plenty and to spare. Their stock, 
and even the pup and cat, fared better than I did. 
I was afraid to go to either place. I did not sleep 
much and decided in the morning to go to Mr. Dos- 
set 's, but I was afraid. I started and went part 
way and stood behind a tree for about thirty min- 
utes, hoping Mr. Dosset would go to the barn, for 
I wanted to meet Mrs. Dosset first. I started to the 
house, thinking what I would say, and afraid they 
would drive me off. I saw him look over his specks 
as I was in twenty steps of him. He said, "0 
Elizabeth! come here.'' I came near falling. The 
next word was the life-giving word— "Here is our 
boy." She came in a run and threw her arms 
around me and kissed me. He dropped his paper 
and held out his hands with tears in his eyes and 
said, "Bring him here." I was crying and could 



48 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

not speak. He took me on his lap and hugged and 
kissed me and said, ''Bless my boy!" He was a 
very wicked man and she was a wicked woman. 
I had known him all my life and never had seen or 
heard of him being so stirred as when they learned 
that I staid so near them all night and had not 
eaten a bite in twenty-four hours and had not had 
a square meal since I left them and had walked 
all the way. They wept and said if they had known 
I was there they would have come after me. My 
breakfast was soon ready. They could not stay 
away from me or keep their hands off of me. It 
was a feast that I never had met. I had my old 
position as chief pet of the family; first the old 
folks, I came next, then the pup and cat. 

Soon the time came to dig potatoes. My brother 
and I were digging for another man. After we 
were through there we came by father's and learned 
that he was not at home. Father returned with Mrs. 
A. and her daughters and he informed us that Mrs. 
A. was now Mrs. Brown. George went wild over it 
and said he would kill her. I went over to Mr. Dos- 
set's and got a team and moved my aunt and her 
things. My stepmother's son and some of her rela- 
tives were there, so they tried to get George to say 
he would not kill her, but it made him the more 
determined. They went after an officer, but he 
did not come just then. 

I staid at Mr. Dosset's till spring and he paid 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 49 

me for the work I did. With my potato crop and the 
money Mr. Dosset paid me I was enabled to dress 
pretty well and have some spending money. I went 
to drinking and playing cards and going to frol- 
icks. Finally a young fellow came and informed 
me of a widow he was going to see and her daughter 
thought something of me and I could go there with 
him. So I went and found a hearty welcome. We 
kept going there two or three nights out of the 
week for about three weeks, then my friend informed 
me if I would furnish the money he would go up 
the river and get me a position where we could make 
money and we would all move up there. It was a 
general agreement. I told Mr. Dosset I wanted my 
money. He could see farther than I could. He 
settled up with me and gave me good advice, but 
I was too smart to hear him. I went on and began 
to make arrangements for the move. The first thing 
I knew I had no place to stay, no money, and no 
friends, except the widow, her daughter and my 
chum, and he was just like me. I would go with 
him to his stepfather's for breakfast. I saw what 
my condition was going to be, so I went to choring 
for my chum's stepfather. He was a great worker 
and gave me to understand he did not approve of 
his stepson coming there, so I staid with him. He 
and I worked as much as the weather would permit. 
He was a very early riser. He had a man to come 
to do a piece of work and he came before daylight. 



50 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I was sent in the kitchen to build a fire. I heard 
the man ask who I was, and some one said, "That 
is Willis Brown, he is loafing with B." "I am 
going to put him to making rails to-day, he can't 
loaf around me." The man sanctioned it. After 
breakfast he told me to go to making rails. 
I said, "No, I will leave here, I will not bother 
you any more." 

Now I was in more trouble. I hated to go back 
to Mr. Dosset's, my clothes were all badly worn. I 
went in that direction, and as I came to where the 
roads forked, one went to my aunt's, one to Mr. 
Dosset's, and the other to my father's. I didn't 
know which one to take, so I started to aunt's, and 
soon met father in a wagon. He said he had been 
to aunt's and informed me she was out of wood 
and if I would go home with him he would let me 
have the team to haul her some wood and go with 
me. I got in the wagon and it appeared to me 
father felt nearer to me than he ever did ; but there 
was a dread about meeting my stepmother, but soon 
we arrived at father's house and was a welcome 
visitor. They were all as kind as they could be, 
and my stepmother got a chance and told me she 
wanted me to stay at home, that father seemed to 
care a heap for me. Well I felt more at home than 
I had for a long time. I was given more privileges, 
went where I pleased and had free access to use the 
horses. I would ride them to dances, something 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 51 

father never did allow before. Soon father made me 
an offer to raise a crop, which I accepted and went 
to work, but kept going to see my girl, and would 
bring my chum home with me. It was not long 
until I cut my foot, cut a joint and it got bad. 
There was an old woman in the country that was 
a pretty good doctor. She came to see me and 
agreed to cure my foot in a certain time for $5.00 
and would board me. My foot was getting along 
nicely till her son and I got into trouble and the 
old lady told me it was set back a week, but it soon 
got well. 

The officers came and notified my father and 
stepmother that George was under arrest. Father 
and my stepmother were going down there. I told 
her that I had not had anything to do with her and 
George's trouble, but if she went I would. She 
didn't go. I went and George was released, but 
that created enmity in her against me, and we began 
to have trouble. One day at dinner I took very 
sick. My cousin Bill Radcliffe, whom father had 
hired, said I was poisoned. " The trouble grew worse, 
and on the Fourth of July my cousin and I went 
to a barbecue against my father's will. On the way 
I took another sick spell, worse than the first. When 
I started my stepsister followed me out on the 
porch and looked very sad. She was a good girl. 
I came near dying. They had several doctors with 
me that day and took me back to Mr. Dosset's that 



52 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

evening, where I learned my stepsister was very sick 
and had died. I went back when I got well and 
finished the crop except plowing a few potatoes. 
When I hauled off a few apples and sold them my 
stepmother raised a fuss that caused me to leave. 
I went to Mr. Dosset's. I then went to see what 
father would give me for my crop. He said the 
crop was his and we got into trouble. I called 
George, and father agreed to give me so much for 
my crop and I was to pay him for my board, 
which left me $20.00. I went to having a good 
time, as I called it, drinking and frolicking. I 
had forgotten about my doctor bill. I was aiming 
to take my girl to a pay-ball and passed the doc- 
tor. She called on me for her money and it took 
all I had. I borrowed money from the doctor's 
son to take my girl to the ball. 

I was staying at Mr. Atkin's and had all the 
whisky I wanted and did some work for him, but 
did not get any money. One day Mr. Long shot 
several times at Mr. Stubs. Long married my 
cousin. He came by Mr. Atkin 's as he went up 
to the house to get more whisky and cartridges and 
asked me to go with him. I went with him, and 
he gave me a pistol and told me to shoot Stubs 
on sight. I tried to beg off, but he threatened to 
shoot me if I didn't go. We met him and Mr. 
Long had me to go on one side of the house and 
he went on the other. I motioned to Stubs and 



APPROACHING MANHOOD. 53 

gave him to understand I would not hurt him, 
and he came by me and got in his house. This 
made Long mad at me and he demanded the pistol. 
Long was captured in a few minutes and I would 
have been if it had not been for some friends. 

Father came to town soon and asked me to go 
out and tend to his stock as he was not able and 
had no one to attend to them. I went, and it was 
not long till father made me another offer to raise 
a crop. He would furnish me land and team 
and told me if I would marry a certain girl he 
would deed me a piece of land and give me a span 
of horses and wagon and fit me up for keeping house. 
I spoke to the girl and she was willing. She was 
older than I, but a good worker, and that was what 
father liked. I decided to marry and settle down. 
Father and my stepmother said it was the best thing 
I could do. 



CHAPTER V. 

DOWNWABD STEPS. 



On a Spree.— Measles.— Dancing.— Gets into Trouble and is 
Arrested.— Plays Pig.— Leaves the Country.— Works for Mr. 
Hughes.— Back to Father's.— Brother in a Fight.— Popular 
with the Girls.— Father's Death.— Mischief of Stepmother. 
—Trouble over the Estate.— Leaves Home for Good.— 
Caution to Girls. 

I kept up my drinking and had plenty of associ- 
ates. There was one Bill L. We ran together and 
got into many scrapes. One time we had been on 
a spree that had lasted one day and two nights, 
and we went through great exposure in the snow. 
It was in March, and I came home between mid- 
night and day on Monday morning. I woke up next 
morning with hot fever and headache. Father said 
I had the measles. He made me a hot stew and I 
broke out thick. I had the measles when I was 
small, but this was a true case of measles. As soon 
as I could ride my chum came after me for me to 
go with him to a working. We went, but I was 
not able to work. Late after dinner we went to 
get some whisky and came back pretty full. One 
of the managers took my chum around the house 
to tell him I had not worked and I could 1 not 
55 



56 FEOM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

dance. I followed them. Bill said, "Here he is, 
tell him." I said, "What is it?" The manager 
told me in a boisterous way and I pulled the ham- 
mer of my revolver back as I drew it from my 
pocket. He ran and said I could dance. We soon 
were engaged. The girl I expected to marry was 
there. The dance went on all right, but after while 
I was persuaded to go into a side room to engage 
in a set. This was done to get me away from my 
chum. It was not long till I was tripped up and 
knocked through a quilt that hung over the out- 
side door. When I got straight I discovered by 
moonlight my clothes were cut pretty bad. Next 
an old woman appeared before me with a big rock 
drawn and informed me I tried to shoot her son. 
The racket went pretty high. My girl would fight, 
too, and she soon called the old lady down. The 
fuss was stopped by an officer that was there. Bill 
and I were furnishing the officer whisky so he would 
keep still on us. We gave another fellow all the 
whisky he wanted and promised him a ride behind 
Bill if he would feed our horses out of a fodder 
shock and corn-crib close by. We would tell him 
it was feed time and he would feed. When we 
went to start just before daylight our horses were 
standing in the fodder and corn up to their knees. 
This was a common affair every week. 

Court came on and Mr. M. D., who had sold me 
whisky, came to get me to run off. While we were 



DOWNWAED STEPS. 57 

parleying about the price we saw the officer coming 
after me. He said to me, "Run!" I said, "Will 
you give it?" He said, "Go! I will pay it." I ran 
through the house, grabbed my hat and, as I thought, 
my coat. As I jumped the backyard fence I found 
my coat proved to be my stepmother's old black 
bonnet. The officer jumped off his horse and ran 
me a quarter of a mile through a field. He would 
say, "Stop, or I will shoot." I would say, "Shoot." 
He would say, "Run, you d — 1." I would say, "I am 
running. ' ' I struck the woods and the officer ran back. 
I went upon the hillside in the woods where I could 
see the house. I saw Mr. D. come around the farm and 
the officer, Mr. Jentry, get on his horse and leave. 
Mr. D. came to me and told me to go in the woods 
back of his field and he would meet me there. He 
agreed to keep me hid there and pay me so much. 
We went to dinner and there was an old woman 
there. Then he decided to give me $2.50, and if 
they didn't get me before the grand jury he would 
give me $5.00 more. So I went back of father's 
field, where a man was making rails, and sent him 
to the house to get me a quilt, piece of bacon and 
some bread, and I scouted until Friday night. I 
knew father was tending court, and that he came 
home every night and sent a man who was working 
for him to feed a sow and some pigs that were at 
the back of the field. 'So I went to the hog's bed 
to wait for Wesley to come. But the hog had 



58 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

moved and I did not know whether he would come 
or not. It got pretty dusky and I heard Wes 
start his song ; he was coming. I thought how afraid 
he was and what a good plan it was to scare a 
fellow. I crawled into the hog's bed and he came up 
pretty close. He said, "Pig," and I groaned. He 
said, "Piggie," I groaned and shook the bushes. 
He threw the corn down and said, "Pig." I ran 
out on all fours, making a fuss, and Wes ran hol- 
lowing, "Pig." I took after him. He jumped the 
little cedars for seventy-five yards. When he came 
to the old rail fence on the hillside he struck it, 
ran through and knocked down about three pannels. 
I saw I was left and commenced to call him by 
name. He ran to the foot of the hill, one hundred 
yards, before he could stop. He said, "Is that 
Willis?" I said yes. He said, "Don't you tell your 
pap, and we will fix the fence." He told me the 
grand jury had broke. We went to the house and 
I went to see Mr. D. that night to get my $5.00. He 
said they found a bill against him anyhow, but he 
soon decided to pay me. 

It was not long till several of us got drunk and 
went to church. The boys asked me to lead in 
prayer. I did so, and my chum grabbed me by the 
arm and ran out of the house with me, struck my 
head against the door and knocked me senseless and 
drug me into the woods. The officer ran out after 
us, and when I came to myself he was trying to 



DOWNWARD SM>S. 59 

get me to eat parched coffee to sober me up. The 
people thought he was hunting me to arrest me. I 
had to leave the country. My friend Hughes was 
farming in an adjoining country. Brother George 
was working for him and he came next day to hire 
hands for Hughes. Bill and I went. It was in the 
bottoms four miles from Shawneetown, 111. We 
learned something we never before knew. We must 
feed, curry and gear our team by lantern light and 
be in the field by sunrise and not stop until din- 
ner ; just an hour for dinner and then go until night. 
Bill quit, and Mr. Hughes made me an offer of 
$18.00 per month and horse to ride. I decided to 
stay. He let me have a horse to go and see 
my intended wife. She was still waiting for me. I 
bought her wedding-dress and went back to Mr. 
Hughes. It was but a few nights until he shot some 
horses that were bothering in the yard. My brother 
and I saw him shoot and we were wanted before 
the court. We left and came over to Mr. Lambert's 
to get our money. He hired us on trial for a week. 
The day the week was out, on Saturday, Mr. Lam- 
bert went away and left all of us a task. I finished 
my task and went to see how my brother and his 
partner were getting along. They were not done and 
were sitting down. I told my brother we would 
get turned off. He said he didn't care. We finished 
the job and came to the garden to handweed it, 
which was their job. Mrs. Lambert sat on the porch. 



60 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

The gnats were very bad in the garden and George 
hollowed and told her if she did not come and get 
her gnats he would hurt some of them. I knew that 
settled it. I laid awake that night waiting for 
Mr. Lambert to come home. He came, and I heard 
Mrs. Lambert tell her husband what George said and 
how I had done my work and then helped George 
and his partner do theirs. He said he would let 
him go in the morning, but would like to keep me. 
Morning came, and Mr. Lambert notified us he was 
done with us, but would have to go to his nephew's 
to get change to pay us, if we did not have change 
for his bill. We did not, for we squandered our 
money as fast as we got it. Mr. Lambert was at the 
barn catching his horse. His daughter and his 
niece (the latter is my wife) were sweeping a porch 
in front of the house. My brother was singing 
and swinging the girls. I was trying to get him to 
quit. Mr. Lambert called me and told me he liked 
me and would give me a piece of advice, that was, 
not follow my brother any farther. He said, ''Mr. 
Hughes wants you to come back, and said he would 
still give you what he offered you." I told him I 
would not work for Mr. Hughes. He said, "I will 
give you the same, but I do not want that George." 
I told him father was old and needed me to take 
care of him. I would go home and if father had 
got the trouble fixed which I had got into I would 
stay with father; if not I would come back. Father 



DOWNWARD STEPS. 61 

had it fixed and I bought a man out who was mak- 
ing a potato crop on father's place, as it was just 
potato planting time and was so wet the man had 
lost faith in the crop. This was 1875. 

My father got very sick and wanted to see George. 
I went and hunted him up. He was making a crop 
with my first chum that was going to see the widow. 
They had married and gone to farming. My girl 
was not married yet, and I would go with her once 
in a while, though I was engaged to Miss C. W. I 
found George and brought him home. He and my 
stepmother made up, which was a great help to 
father. In a day or so father made George an offer 
to come home and work and help me fix up the farm. 
I went with George over to my chum's, whom I 
loved almost as well as I did my brother. They fell 
out and had a fight. My brother George cut him 
all to pieces. It was the worst sight I ever saw, for 
I loved them both. We went home and informed 
father what had happened. He called me to the 
bed and had me to tell him the particulars. He told 
George not to leave, if that was the straight of it. 
So he staid. Next morning the officers came after 
him. This was the second man he had cut up, but 
he got off clear. 

We both staid with father that winter. I didn't 
have a good chance to see my first girl, as my chum 
had fallen out with me. I was not mad at him and 
love him until this day, but he does not seem to 
have any love for me. 



62 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Well, by this time I was getting to be a popular 
fellow with the girls, but still aimed to marry Miss 
C. About the 1st of February,1876, Mrs. Cochran, who 
had moved to Arkansas some years before, came back. 
She went off with a large family and came back 
with a little four-year-old grandson. She had her 
stock and wagons within two days' drive of our 
house and came on and rented a farm and had father 
let me take a team and go with her for her things. 
We were gone three days. When we got back I 
found father very low and he had lost his mind. 
They told me he had called for me continually since 
he got bad. I asked the doctor about his condition. 
The doctor said he would get up. Mrs. L. came in 
and said father would die before morning and she 
could draw the fever from his head so he could tell 
what he wanted to tell. She put mustard drafts on 
his ankles and wrists. By 10 o'clock he was in his 
right mind, called for me, tried to tell about money 
he had buried, but was too weak to make me under- 
stand. He got to raving, so aunt told him we un- 
derstood him. He had made me agree to take care 
of my stepmother and my half-brother, and for me to 
wind up his business. He died at 12 o'clock the 12th 
of February, 1876. 

My stepmother, some time after father was laid 
out, called me to help her look for his pocketbook. 
She opened a box that had a lock on it and I soon 
saw the pocketbook. She tumbled things around; 



DOWNWARD STEPS. 63 

at last she said, "Here it is." She said, "I knew it 
was in here, but I do not know what is in it." 
We opened the pocketbook, and there was $40.00. 
He had made a sale and sold off several hundred 
dollars' worth of stock and the notes were due and 
father had been collecting them. I told her there 
was more than that on the place. She said she 
would look and if she found any more she would 
give it to me. I went and got his coffin and 
burying clothes, and came home. Her son had come 
and put mischief in her head. She told me to give 
her the pocketbook, she had found some more money. 
I handed her the pocketbook and asked her how much 
she had found. She said ten cents, and put the 
pocketbook in her pocket and walked off. When we 
came home from the grave she denied what she had 
promised father and wanted to administer the es- 
tate herself. George, my brother, and she had more 
trouble. My brother-in-law said if she was willing 
he would be administrator. I insisted she would 
choose him, for he was a good man and sheriff of 
the county (G. W. Jackson), and she finally chose 
him. 

We got into trouble. When it was found out that 
George and I could prove that father gave us the 
horses it was agreed that I could buy my horse 
and no one bid against me. I drew the suit the day 
of the sale and a Mr. Alex Fraser, a brother mason, 
bid against me for the horse that father gave me 



64 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and made me pay $114.90 for the horse. I then 
bought other things that run my note to $165.00. 
I filled a note with the understanding that it was 
to come out of my part of the estate. The time 
came for the estate to be settled. Suit was brought 
against me, however, and I never got anything out 
of the estate. I had been told by Mrs. J. T. that my 
brother-in-law was going to fail and our land would 
be sold to pay a security debt that father stood good 
for, and was advised to sell my land, which I did. 
I paid $65.00 on the note and never would pay the 
rest. 

Now I have told you how my stepmother denied 
the promise she made my father on his death-bed 
concerning my taking charge of his property and 
paying off the security debt that was against his 
estate. My brother George and my stepmother dis- 
agreed on all points and brother sued for division 
of the land, and it was granted by the court. I was 
there at that time riding as bailiff under the sheriff 
in Hardin Co., 111., who was my brother-in-law, Mr. 
Jackson. I found out who the commissioners were 
to divide the land. I talked with James Mason, one 
of the parties, and told him how I wished the land 
divided and my request was granted. I was only 
nineteen years old, but the judge after questioning 
me gave me the privilege of taking charge of my 
land and cultivating it. As I had no guardian I 
had to leave my old home for good. I had no right 



DOWNWARD STEPS. 65 

to the old house, so I went to Mr. J. H. Dosset's 
to board and cultivate my own land. I made a part 
of a crop, the best I could, and keep up my spark- 
ing and drinking, as I had several girls to go to 
see, and my old girl, the one which I intended to 
marry, married another man. I did not grieve, as 
I had become acquainted with a good many others. 
Now there is a part of my life right here I shall 
not give, as I can not without exposing others that 
I trust are living a better life now; however, my 
chum at this time was R. R. Lacky, who yet lives 
near Cave in Rock, 111., near the old schoolhouse where 
we kept our office and would meet on Sundays and 
idle times to write to our girls. He had the 
writing to do, for I could not write my name then. 
I will say we did keep company with some nice girls, 
but if they preferred to remain nice they did not 
keep company with us long, and very few that 
caught a lisp of our poisonous tongues ever escaped 
with their virtue and honor. 

girls, be careful ! it is not the fellow that dresses 
the nicest and talks the slickest that is your friend. 
He will sow your path with presents and candies and 
accommodations for not only months, but for years, 
to catch you, and some time just after dancing all 
night or some other engagement that has caused you 
to be handled in a careless way, the serpent will 
capture his victim. 

1 was warning a married lady friend once against a 



66 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

man that I knew was poison. Her husband was away a 
great deal and she was left at this man's opportuni- 
ties. She was a good woman, but young, and I re- 
spected her too much as well as her husband to 
offer her an insult, and really felt interested in her 
welfare. As I told her of her danger she said to 
me, that she learned when she was a single girl not 
to let a man put his hands on her. She said she 
noticed that when a girl gave a man that privilege 
he next would get his arms around her, and then he 
had her at his will. I knew this was true. Keep 
your distance, girls. I have seen girls who seemed 
very shy in the beginning of a ball, and before day 
they did not think you showed respect if you did 
not catch them in your arms as you would swing 
them on the corner, and they would soon learn to 
hug by note. Girls, do not go to the ball. First to 
the ballroom, then to the ale-house, then to disgrace, 
then on to hell! 



CHAPTER VI. 

DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 



Twenty-one Years of Age. — Advice to Mothers.— Proposes 
Marriage. — A Terrible Drunkard.— Eides into a Store. — 
Hurt by Horse.— Feigns to Preach.— Starts for Kentucky. 
—Sickness and a Vision.— More Trouble.— Escapes to 
Missouri. — A Wood-cutter.— Given Up to Die of Consump- 
tion. — Eeturns to Effect Compromise. — A Man is Shot. — 
A Low Life.— Visits New Orleans.— Mike Long. — Disabled 
with Eheumatism.— Drowns Team of Mules.— Marriage. — 
Poverty and Hardship.— Hires by the Day.— Settles on 
Farm.— Domestic Troubles. — Son Born. — Horse Dealer. — 
At Marion Fair.— Quits Drinking for Twelve Months.— Ee- 
turns to Drunkenness Again.— Child Afflicted.— Call from 
God.— Decides with Infidels and Child Dies.— A Total 
Wreck.— Attempts Suicide.— Helps Poor and Orphans. 

The time came that I was twenty-one years of 
age. I sold my land to Jerry Simmons. He held 
back $50.00 to secure the deed until the estate was 
settled up, and he holds it yet. The man that was 
a witness forgot all about it and the other witness 
died. I freely forgive all. If I had received it 
then it would have gone like the rest. If I had it 
now I would spend it to God's glory. While my 
money lasted I was one of the foremost young men in 
the country. There could not be a picnic or dance 
without me, and if the money was hard to raise 
67 



68 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I would pay the bill. I bought fine dresses and 
shoes and used them to buy girls' characters, bring 
disgrace on homes, and start souls to hell, and poor 
deluded mothers would encourage it, because they 
thought it was so nice for their daughters to get 
a present. Wake up, mothers! it would be better 
for your daughters to wear cotton dresses and live 
in honor than to dress in silk and die in disgrace. 
You had better watch that fellow who makes him- 
self so familiar and helps wash the dishes and 
milk the cow and is so handy about going with the 
girls in the evening to do the chores. The old mother 
sits and smokes her pipe, glad there is some one to 
help daughter do her chores, and tells the old man 
how funny John is, and how he seems to like home 
folks. That scamp is right then hugging your 
daughter to a finish, poisoning her mind as the ser- 
pent did old Mother Eve. So you old folks will 
soon wake up to the fact that you have for a little 
fun and a few chores sold the character and happi- 
ness of a loving daughter and placed a crape on 
your door that will hang there as long as you or 
the family live. You may think this out of place, 
but I know what I am talking about and could give 
many an instance, but this is plain enough for any 
reasonable thinker. I never had a confidential talk 
with a poor fallen woman in a house of prostitution 
but what her fair had come about by having her 
confidence betrayed by one she thought was a friend. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 69 

As I have said, I had many girls I kept company 
with. I still kept company with the first one I ever 
went with. Now there was a girl visiting in our 
country, whose form and friendliness as well as 
lady-like ways had won my affections, and I learned 
that her father was a big land owner in Tennessee. 
I began to try to get her to notice me, and it was 
not long until she did, as she attended dances, and 
we became very familiar. I proposed marrying and 
she agreed to marry me after she went home and 
told her father. I was afraid of this plan, but she 
said if she didn't her father would disinherit her. 
The people she was visiting were well acquainted 
with me and my ways of doing business, but they 
did not think I would marry the girl or intended 
to; but they were mistaken, for she had won my 
heart. She went home and told her arrangements. 
Her father was notified what kind of a fellow I 
was and he objected. I had about run through with 
all my money and was a terrible drunkard and got 
to be very daring. 

I was at Cave in Rock and a steamboat by the 
name of James W. Gafe landed there. There was a 
bar on her and several of my chums and I went on 
board. As the boat had a good deal of freight to 
load, we began to shake dice for the drinks, and I 
got very drunk. The time came that we must go 
ashore, and as I walked out the gangplank a negro 
deck-hand nearly shoved me off the plank. I walked 



70 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

to the end of the plank, drew my pistol, and would 
not let them untie the boat. " The captain asked my 
friends to take me away. After a while some one 
caught around me, others took my revolver, and the 
boat was loosed and left, while I charged and was 
held by my friends. I was very drunk and mad. 
They thought they would get me put of town; so 
they put me on my horse and put a boy by the name 
of Aaron Pell up behind me to take me home. We 
were passing in front of E. M. Pleasant 's store. I 
saw it was crowded with people and I thought it 
would be nice to see them go over the counter. I 
turned my horse to the door and hollowed: "Look 
out, the J. W. Gafe is coming." I put spurs to the 
horse; he charged into the building, and Pell fell 
off at the door. I went in. The people, men and 
women, went over behind the counter. Pleasant 
drew a double-barreled shotgun on me, but I paid 
no attention. I rode around the middle counter, 
came up on the confectionary side and called for 
s * candy, which was quickly handed out. James 
Carr, an officer, who lives at Cave in Rock yet, led 
my horse out, he and my brother-in-law, W. C. 
Moore. I asked them if I was under arrest. Carr 
said yes. I dismounted, and as I had no revolver 
I went to throw my coat to fight them, and felJ 
flat on my back. I got my knife out in the tussel, 
but they did not want to hurt me. I climbed up 
and got my horse. They put Pell behind me again 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 71 

and he caught around me and got my bridle and 
started home with me. I went a little piece and 
made Pell get down. I went to turn my horse, 
reeled over, and my spur struck the horse, and he 
thought it was a go, as he was a plug race-horse. 
He ran a short distance and bursted the saddle-girt, 
throwing me over his head. One foot struck me in 
the breast, the other in the stomach, and the horse 
went on and left me lifeless. George Carr, Sam 
Gustin, and others carried me to a stable. Charley 
Lackey followed my horse and brought him back. 

I recovered from my fall and got drunk again. 
We all decided to go to a big meeting at Wesley 
Chapel, out two and a half miles from town. It 
was raining. We arrived at the church and there 
was a large crowd, but no preacher. The boys asked 
me to preach. It did not take much persuading. 
I pulled my overcoat and took the stand. The peo- 
ple all laughed. I told them they would find my 
text over in the back of the book in the thirty-second 
chapter of Dinderies: "Where the hen scratched, 
there lay the bug also.'' Just about that lime old 
Billy Winn, a man I always was afraid of, and the 
preacher, came in at the door. I started with my 
overcoat on one arm, hat in the other hand, my shirt 
hanging out over my pants behind about three inches 
longer than my coat. The people were in an uproar, 
but I was in trouble. I knew if I got out alive, 
Winn would have me arrested. We met in the isle 



?2 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

at the stove and as I would turn Winn would turn. 
I gave a lunge, fell over and knocked over two 
benches, scrambled to the door, and Winn hollowed: 
"What is the matter with you, Willis?" I said, "I 
want out of here." 

I went home to my aunt's about three-fourths of 
a mile away and informed her of my trouble. I had 
made arrangements to move my aunt to Kentucky to 
keep house for me until I married, then I intended 
to take care of her, as I had told my contemplated 
bride that I would do. I was not able to get up 
next morning. I had my aunt and cousin to watch 
for the officers. Finally they said they saw the 
sheriff coming with another man. I had no chance 
to run, for I was in bed. I soon decided I would 
play off on them, as the sheriff was my brother-in- 
law. So he came in, but wasn't after me, but my 
pocketbook, for the money for the note I made at 
father's sale, and also informed me I would not get 
any of the estate, there was none left for me. The 
note had been sued on, and as I had made it before 
I was twenty-one, they could not make me pay it. 
I paid him one hundred dollars and told him when 
the estate was settled I would pay the rest, and not 
before. I started for Kentucky next morning and 
made my arrangements to move. I was in trouble— 
my money nearly all gone, and aiming to marry, 
and a part of what little money I did have left was 
in E. M. Pleasant 's safe, and I had to go and face 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 73 

the man whose store I had rode into. I came back 
to my aunt's and went to Pleasant 's to get my 
money. He began to curse me and point at my 
horse tracks on the storenoor. I asked, "How much 
is the damage? I have come to pay it." He joked 
me for a while, then gave me my money and did 
not charge me anything. I moved my aunt to Ken- 
tucky, commenced to make a crop and kept looking 
for my intended bride. Finally I received a letter 
notifying me that her father would not let her come. 
I decided to go and steal her. I kept corresponding 
with her till the old man got to watching the office. 

I finished my crop and had a hard spell of sick- 
ness. I had a vision of hell. I saw the devil. He 
came to my bed. His body and head were in the 
shape of a lion, a very large head, and mouth open. 
His breath came in my face. I could feel it blow 
in my face as he panted like a tired dog. His head 
was as large as a water-bucket and his body was 
about nine feet long. His back just came level with 
the bed where I lay. His tail was as long as his 
body and flat and stood out straight. I was not 
asleep ; I was gasping for breath. He passed by my 
bed like a snake crawling. I was sure it was the 
devil. Just as he passed out of sight I seemingly 
was raised from the bed by a small thread. I took 
it to be the thread of life. It fastened in my breast 
and extended to some unseen part above. I looked 
down and I was hanging over a big gulf. It was 



74 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

very deep; I could not see the bottom. The black 
smoke was rolling up as far down as I could see. 
There were people standing on cliffs, some way down 
and some near the top. The bottom was represented 
as the bottomless pit of hell. I discovered I was 
gradually turning around. I looked up at the thread 
and it was unwinding; the twist was coming out of 
it and I could see the fibers pull apart. I looked to 
see where I would fall and I was right over the 
center of the pit: I could look just as far as I could 
see down in the black smoke and could not see any bot- 
tom. Just about then there was a small tube, one end 
in my breast and the other end in my mouth, and I 
had to get my breath through that. It would stop 
up and I would almost die. The thread was still un- 
winding and I could not tell whether the breath 
would stop first or the thread break. I would try 
to stop turning around and try to suck the tube open. 
This was a fair vision of the devil and hell and 
the bottomless pit. Tom Angliton, of Rockcreek, 111., 
was by my bedside; lived with me at that time. He 
now lives at Rockcreek post-office, Hardin Co., 111., 
and will well remember that time when he hears 
this. We had some wonderful times together. I 
won his clothes one day playing cards and when he 
went to bed I hid them. I awoke him next morning 
and told him to get up. He jumped out of bed, 
went to get his clothes and they were gone. He went 
back to bed. My cousin Sue found his clothes for 




AT THE AGE OF TWENTY-TWO. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 75 

him and I never knew him to bet his clothes again. 

The time soon came after I got well that I had 
a chance to go in with a man in a photograph boat, 
which I thought would be a good scheme to get my 
girl, who lived on the Mississippi river, in Lake Co., 
Tenn. So we made a deal. I left everything in Tom 
Angliton's hands to take care of, but had L. B. Cain, 
of Weston, Ky., to look after Tom to see that he 
did not gamble my stock and crop away. I left on 
the boat with just one man, and his name was Henry 
Gipson; he was a bachelor. We got to Elizabeth- 
town, 111., and I received a letter from my first girl 
that there was trouble on hands and I had better 
come and see about it at once. I loved the girl, but 
I also loved the one I was going to steal then, and 
I had an eye to her father's wealth. I was bothered. 
I could not decide to give up my arrangements to 
marry Miss A. P., and could not bear to leave Miss 
M. Q. without friends or character. As I was wash- 
ing the supper dishes I reached over the fantail of 
the boat to dip up a kettle of water and the kettle 
slipped out of my hands, which made Gipson very 
mad and we came near having severe trouble. I got 
a chance and slipped the caps off of his pistol and 
got the drop on him and had the thing a little my 
way. But we dissolved partnership and I went back 
home. 

I went to see my girl and made her some propo- 
sitions. She said it was me she wanted, and me she 



76 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

would have. I had just about decided to marry her 
when a little darkey came up with a note, telling me 
her mother was going to bring suit against me next 
Monday morning in Marion, Ky. for her character. 
I talked with a friend, M. F. Clements. He told 
me it would ruin me. A youngster was laid in my 
lap and I was asked to name her. I called her Rosetta 
Brown. I thought I would marry the girl, but other 
people interfered and tried to force me. I was an 
Irishman and would not drive. I started to a dance 
with a young man that was living with my brother. 
His name was Tom Leeper. I notified him soon after 
we started that we would go to Elizabethtown, 111., 
and that the wooden valise he was carrying for me 
was not bottled whisky, as he supposed, but was my 
clothes and I was leaving the country. He took me 
to Elizabethtown and I took a boat for Carrsville, 
Ky., where I got off and walked out to M. E. Rad- 
cliffe's, seven miles, and in a day or so started on 
a blind mare to Thomas Radcliffe's, between the 
Cumberland and Tennessee rivers, and staid there 
until I heard from my brother George. He told me 
to leave there, and I did, and made for the West. 
He also informed me that there was a $300.00 re- 
ward for me, and that scared me, until I was afraid 
of everybody. 

I boarded my first train in life at St. Bernard, 
on the Tennessee river. I had not been on long un- 
til a young fellow got on by the name of Bill Allen. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 77 

He said he was going West and we agreed to go to- 
gether, though I gave him a different name from 
what my own was. He and I kept together till we 
struck a job in the swamps of the Missouri. We left 
the railroad and walked twenty-five miles through 
the swamps. We waded water, met wild hogs and 
some wild horses. This was in the year of 1880. 
We stopped with a man by the name of Haste Yates, 
who hired us to split rails until we could do better. 
He offered us seventy-five cents a hundred, or sev- 
enty-five cents a day. We worked by the day. It 
was my second rail making, but it was sassafras and 
pecan and coffeenut timber and it split fine. 

I had not done a day's work for quite a while and 
the next morning after the first day's work I could 
scarcely turn over. I was so sore the old man pulled 
me out of bed. I worked till dinner. Then we went 
to see an old man who was hiring hands for a widow 
woman. He was a blind lawyer. He asked my 
partner what he could do on a farm. He said he 
could do anything. He boasted a great deal. He 
was hired at $20.00 a month as boss of the farm. 
He said to me, "What can you do, young man?" 
I told him I could work on a farm if some one would 
go before. He said he would give me $10.00 the 
first month and if I suited him he would raise my 
wages. We were to work alone until the next month, 
then others were to come in. Bill said he would 
make a pet out of me and we would have a good 



78 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

time. We went to cutting logs on a forty-acre 
piece of land that we could very easily walk over 
on timber. Bill would get potatoes and eggs in the 
morning and take them to the field and we would 
roast them. We put in two weeks this way and did 
not do half as much as one could do. I saw this 
would not work. It would throw me out of a job. 

There was a young lady who came to see the 
family the second week and Bill made arrangements 
with her to go to see her Saturday night. He said 
he would quit work early, so we went in. After he 
left the widow began to ask me questions about the 
work. I told her if she would have us to take axes 
I would cut as many logs as we both sawed, and 
if she wanted to know any more about it to slip 
out Monday morning and watch us. So she had us 
take axes Monday morning. Bill went to roasting 
eggs, as usual, and I went to chopping. The widow 
slipped out and watched us. When we came to din- 
ner Bill was discharged and my wages were raised 
to twenty dollars and I was boss. 

A crew of hands was hired. I was getting along 
nicely and thinking a good deal of marrying the 
widow when I took a severe case of pneumonia. The 
doctor tended on me for quite a while. The widow 
was interested in me for some time, and all at once 
she neglected me and I suffered for attention, as no 
one would be in my room from the time the hands 
would go to work in the morning till dinner time. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 79 

I tell you, young men, you do not know how it will 
make a person think of home to be among strangers 
where no one knows who you are and your people 
do not know where you are, and there is no one 
to give you a drink or a word of comfort. There 
was one old man and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Yates, 
who would come in and sit up with me and bring 
me something to eat and slip it to me. 

The widow came to my room one day and told me 
the doctor said I had consumption and would never 
get well. I might get so I could be up, but never could 
work any more. She said if I would still give instruc- 
tions to the hands she would keep me until I died, 
which would not be long. When the doctor came that 
day I discharged him, told him I could die without his 
help. In two days I could walk across the room 
with a stick, and in three days I walked a quarter 
of a mile, in one-half day went to Mr. Yates*, and 
in five days I got a young man to take me eight 
miles to the railroad. It was after all were in bed 
and asleep. I did not want to let them know where 
I went. 

I went back to my brother's. They waited five 
days to see if I would die, and Bill Irbey and J. 
Bantey came after me. I went on conditions that 
they would not keep me out after night and give the 
Kuklux a chance at me, and would give me a chance 
to compromise. I did compromise, and when re- 
leased I owed the officer $2.50. I did not have a 



80 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

cent and could not work. The girl's grandmother 
drove her off. My brother and his wife took her to 
keep till I got well. I still thought I would marry 
her, though I had not told her so. I was not able 
to do anything. One day I was reading an almanac 
and saw German syrup advertised for lung trouble. 
I told my brother and he sent and got me a bottle. 
Before I had taken it all I could work a little 
evenings and mornings. 

I went over to see a widow. I used to stay with 
her and her man. She seemed to think a great deal 
of me. She had a man and his wife living with 
her. She insisted I should stay there, and I did, 
and commenced to help the man with his work. 
One day the man left the gate open and the hogs 
came in the yard. I was just coming up. I had 
been to a picnic. The man was dogging the hogs. 
The widow and he had some words. She saw me 
and hollowed at me and said, "Why, you have come 
back! I heard you would run away with my horse." 
So she came to the barn gate and told me a great 
deal the man had said about me. I saw her temper 
was raised and tried to get the trouble settled. 
The man said he was just teasing her. I told him it 
would not do ; he would get into severe trouble. That 
evening she set separate tables and told them to ct)ok 
and eat to themselves and she would do the same. 
They all had temper. Now both women hurried to 
get supper and it was ready on both tables at once, 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 81 

and I was invited to eat at both tables. I went to 
the widow's table, for I knew there would be war 
right there if I did not. The next morning the same 
performance was gone through with breakfast. After 
breakfast I went to my brother's to get a team to 
help plant potatoes. This man went to get his team at 
a neighbor's barn, as he was afraid to keep his team 
at her barn, as she and her stepchildren were having 
trouble because their father had deeded her the 
farm and given her all he had. However, I was 
about four hundred yards away, when I heard loud 
talking, then a report of a gun, then a man scream. 
My brother and I ran to the house and saw the man 
lying in the fence corner shot, and hollowing. His 
wife was going towards where some men were thrash- 
ing wheat and the widow was sweeping the porch. 
I ran to her and said, "My God! what have you 
done?" She fell on my bosom and said, "Are you 
going to forsake me? He went to whip me." I 
went and helped carry the man into the house. 
As we brought him in at the front door she went 
out the back way. He hollowed at her. She told 
him to lie still; he had brought it on himself; she 
would not talk to him. My brother brought the 
doctor. I took the widow to Elizabethtown. She 
employed a lawyer, who told her to go back and 
wait until they did something. The officer came. She 
told him to go back, that she would come. We went 
to Elizabethtown, where she gave herself up to the 



82 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

judge and filed a bond. She offered to deed me 
her farm. I said no, and it was good for me I did 
not take it, for just then they were trying to get 
me into the trouble and some people think yet I 
was the instigator. But I say here before God and 
man, I tried to keep it down, and the man and his 
wife knew it, and they and I were good friends when 
they died. The widow compromised with them and 
they left and did not appear in court. 

Now I have decided not to give my life in full 
from this time on to my conversion, as some parts 
are very dark and might not have the best effect. 
As I have already stated, my brother and wife were 
keeping my child and her mother, and I was studying 
about marrying her, but there was a meddler put in, 
and she left without my knowing: it and went to 
Kentucky. I lived with the widow a while and went 
to gambling. A young man named Boyd and myself 
followed fairs and picnics. I do not know as it will 
do any good to tell the many dirty things we did. 
I will say it was a low down dirty life. We ofttimes 
risked our lives and came near taking, lives. We did 
not rob, but I fear if we had staid together 
much longer we would have been robbers. We 
smuggled whisky, throwed foul dice, and did many 
dirty things. I had all confidence in Boyd until 
we were at Paducah, Ky. at the fair and he claimed 
to get robbed. Afterwards I saw a bill of money 
that I knew. I asked the man where he got it and 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 83 

he said from Boyd. I knew it was a bill we had; 
so he and I separated and the widow married. 

I went to New Orleans on a flatboat, which be- 
longed to John Gregrey and his brother Bob. John 
Lackey was my chum on that trip. The whole crew 
got into a confusion, but Lackey and I staid together. 
We ran some narrow escapes. We outrun the police 
a square race in New Orleans one night and by mak- 
ing a long jump from the levee reached the boat. 
Gregrey was aboard that night and said we would 
get caught, but we escaped. Well, while in New 
Orleans I heard the widow's man had left her and 
took her horse. John and I started for Cave in 
Rock, 111., and we came that thirteen hundred miles 
under many disadvantages, as John was sick. I 
came and found the widow a widow sure enough. 
I followed the man and found him at Catskin, 111., 
and took the horse, left the man and returned home. 
There are some dark things of my life which I think 
best should lie still at the present, as others are im- 
plicated in them. 

Some boys and I went to farming. We kept batch 
and were rough. Before this I was in the black- 
smith business with Mike Long. He would not do 
anything, and I did not know how to do much. I 
got dissatisfied and he said he would buy me out. 
I agreed to sell out. We invoiced the stock. He 
wrote a note due in ten days, signed his name to 
it, and handed it to me. I told him I could not do 



84 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

that, for that was all I had and I wanted the 
money. He was drunk and he had the drop on me, 
as we were in his own house. He promised faith- 
fully he would pay me. I took the note, went to 
farming, and took some work for him to do. The 
ten days passed, the work was not done, nor did he 
pay me, but sent me a challenge to shoot a duel 
with him. I and my chum John Lackey went down. 
We charged our horses up to his shop door. I 
leaped off my horse in the shop door. He looked 
around and saw me. I never spoke, neither did he, 
but we looked each other in the eye. John hitched 
our horses and came in, spoke to him and asked him 
if he would shoe his horses. He said no. Lackey 
said, "Why, have you gone back on me?" "I never 
went ahead on you very much," was the reply. Just 
then his wife came in and told him his breakfast was 
ready and he went out and we left. I decided to 
kill him. 

I left the neighborhood and went about eleven 
miles back of Cave in Rock to Pots Hill and hired to 
Ewing Lambert. He sent me to the Cave with a 
load of wheat to the mill. As I passed the shop Long 
halted me, and before either could shoot the woman 
jerked him backwards in the door. I came out to 
the Bachelor's Hall, staid all night, and as I did 
not get my grinding Reece Lackey and I went back 
next morning. Long saw us go down town and he 
followed us. I saw him coming, and walked up the 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 85 

sidewalk, meeting him. He and I knocked elbows 
pretty hard. As I passed I whirled: he started to 
turn, saw my position, and walked on. He went on 
to where Reece was and asked where I was. Reece 
told him he had just passed me on the street. He 
said he was going to fix me. Reece told him if he 
did not let me alone I would fix him. I was more 
determined to kill him than ever, for I knew if he 
got a chance he would kill me. The widow lived at 
the Cave then. 

I went down through town some days after, and 
found Long's arrangements was to gamble in the 
shop that night. I went back to the Bachelor's Hall, 
left my horse, and went back to town, slipped into 
the widow's house, staid till 2 o'clock in the morn- 
ing, went to Long's shop where he, Steve Boyd, Jim 
Liles and others were playing cards. Just as I was 
slipping up with my pistol in hand they fell out 
over the game, and Boyd and Long were quarreling. 
There was a crack at Long's back about two inches 
wide. I thought I would shoot him and the gang 
would have the blame to bear, as no one knew I 
was there; but as it was with Jim Coplin when he 
went to kill his first man, a life-time scene flashed 
before me. I said, "I can't kill a man and stand 
behind him." I lowered my pistol, slipped away, 
and sent him word that he or I must leave the 
country. He was about ready to leave, I suppose. 
I never have seen him since. I still have his note 



86 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

given in the year 1881. I never could kill a man 
from the back. 

I worked for Ewing Lambert till the spring of 
1882, when I took the rheumatism and was not able 
to do anything for six months. Mrs. Lambert and 
I did not just agree on a report that got out. She 
had been misinformed about the report. He was on 
another farm he owned near Shawneetown, 111. He 
came home one night after I had gone to bed, and 
when I got up next morning and found that he was 
there I tried to get out and see him before he left, 
as I loved him as a father. When I met him he 
was mad at me, and you can not imagine how I 
felt. The only friend I had on earth that would keep 
me, and I was not able to dress myself part of the 
time, and now he would hardly speak to me. I did 
not know what to do. He had told me he would 
keep me. I had spent all the money I had for 
medicine. Mr. Lambert had spent some money for 
me. He left and went back to the farm. I made 
some inquiry of Mrs. Lambert about what was the 
matter: she did not seem to know. I asked John 
Lambert, the old man's son. He told me it had been 
reported that I was trying to get the darkies on the 
bottom farm to strike for higher wages. I started 
to see Mr. Lambert. It was four miles. I made the 
trip in half a day and found him still mad. After 
dinner I went into his room, shut the door, fastened 
it, and told him I had come to see what was the 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 87 

matter with him. He said he understood I was try- 
ing to get the negroes to strike for higher wages. 
I told him the man, woman or child that had told 
it told a lie and I would face them in it. He looked 
me right in the eye for a bit, and said, "Well, you 
had better stay over here with me;" so I did. 

His niece that he had raised was staying with him 
and superintending the housework. Her name was 
George A. Martin. She and I were engaged to be 
married. Everything went off nicely till the last of 
June. Mr. L. came to the barn where I was lying 
in the horse trough and asked mewhether if he would 
hitch the mules to the wagon and help me into the 
wagon, I could drive over to the home farm at Pots 
Hill and let the boys load the wagon with potatoes, 
and I to bring them back. I said I would try. I 
never had told him I could not do anything, and that 
was why he liked me, for I would try to do any- 
thing he asked me to do. He did not want a man 
to say no. As he proposed, he got the team ready, 
put me into the wagon and I started. I did not go 
far till the mules started to run away. I dropped 
one line, pulled on the other, run them in the fence 
and they stopped. I kept them there until they got 
over their scare and then went on. I had to cross 
Saline river. I thought I could ford it, but when 
I got to it I had to ferry on a little boat just big 
enough for a team and a wagon. The ferryman was 
green at the business, but we got over all right. 



88 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

The boys were at dinner. They put my mules up, 
and loaded my potatoes. There came a rain which 
made the hills slippery, and especially the river bank, 
and I was afraid I would have trouble at the river, 
as I had a young mule in the wagon. I tried to get 
John Lambert to go with me to the river, but he 
would not go. I arrived at the ferry. I decided to 
go aboard. The ferryman said, "Drive on." I had 
a wheel locked, as the bank was very steep. The 
mules got on the boat, the wagon yet on the shore. 
One mule tried to back off; the other tried for a 
while to pull on. I tried to whip them on. I could 
not lift my hand above my head, I was so stiff and 
paralyzed. The water began to come up in the front 
end of the wagon. I said, ' ' What is the matter ? is the 
boat going out?" He said, "Yes, it is gone." I 
climbed up on the potatoes, as it was a forty-bushel 
bed and the load was all behind, and it was well 
for me, for I would never have got out if it had 
not been that way. I fell over the hind end of the 
wagon and lit in the edge of the water. The ferry- 
man had hold of the rope and was holding to a 
bush. The mules were just hanging on the boat with 
their front feet. I caught hold of the man and 
pulled him all I could. He had to let loose of the 
rope and the mules both drowned. I fastened the 
wagon to the shore with a rope, went and told the 
old man the sad news, that I had left a three-hundred 
dollar span of mules in the river. He was out in 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 89 

the field standing in the turning row to turn the 
mules as the negroes would drive out, as the mules 
would get very hot and stubborn towards night. 
There was no stopping to rest. Sometimes they 
would fall dead in the plough, and one did a few 
days after this. 

Mr. Lambert told me to go and get his saddle- 
horse up and feed him. I did. He came in at sun- 
down and did not take time to eat. He went and 
got help and got the gears off the mules and got 
the wagon out. He came back next morning. I had 
been out in the field to start the negroes to work, 
and was just coming to the barn. He told me it was 
carelessness of me and old Givens, the ferryman, 
drowning those mules, and he wanted me to get away 
from there. He did not want any more to do with 
me. I said, "Well, I want to say to you it was not 
my fault and I would not have done it for anything. 
I was afraid to go the trip, but would not say no. 
I love you as a father, and if I ever get able will 
pay you for what you have done for me." He said, 
"Shut your mouth, I will slap you down." I said, 
"No, I will say what I have to say, if you do." 
He walked off and left me. 

That was one of the saddest scenes of my life, 
nowhere to go, and a girl looking out of the window. 
I had won her love and did not have a dollar, and 
was not able to work a bit. I went into the house, told 
my girl to bundle my clothes and send them over 



90 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

the creek to the home farm, and I would go and 
see if I could make arrangements to take her to my 
stepmother's until I could do better. I went to 
where some boys were keeping batch, and cooked 
for them a few days. I improved fast and soon was 
able to get about very well. I went to see my step- 
mother. She said I could bring my wife there. I 
went to A. Beabouts and pawned a coat for $3.00 to 
marry. I went back to Mr. L. 's to tell Miss Martin 
my arrangements. She was well pleased, as she had 
been told I drowned the mules to have an excuse to 
leave. I was sitting on the porch when the old man 
came to dinner. I looked for him to order me off, 
but he spoke very friendly and passed by me. "When 
dinner was ready, he said, "Come to dinner/ ' I 
did not go. He sent his son Jim to tell me to come. 
I still did not go. While they ate I talked to my 
girl and we made our plans. As the old man came 
out the girl was standing with her arm around my 
neck. He looked very sulky. He was at the pump 
washing collars as I started. He called me. I thought 
the trouble had come. I turned and walked over 
to him before I understood what he was talking 
about. I had let a negro have some money one 
time when he was gone and he was asking me about 
it. I told him he could have it on what he had 
spent for me, and if I ever got able I would pay 
him. He said he did not charge me anything, and 
if I got so I could work and make a living, to 
keep it. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 91 

I went to town and got my license, came back by- 
there and told my girl to be ready, I would be after 
her next morning, and for her to tell her uncle. I 
returned next day. She said she had told him and 
he said I was a good worker and if I got able I 
would make her a good living, but she might have 
married some one worth something. We went to old 
Squire Stiert 's and were married. This was the 12th 
of July, 1882. I staid at my stepmother's a few days 
and then made arrangements with my brother-in- 
law to live with him, that we would live together, 
as my sister had died and made me promise I would 
see after her children, as he was very wild. They 
had four girls, one grown, another fourteen and two 
smaller. I had nothing to keep house, and he did. 
We agreed to furnish equal parts of provision. He 
did not do anything. We moved on Jasper Blair's 
farm six miles northeast of Cave in Rock, 111. We 
just rented the house, and he agreed to give me work. 
He did, just enough to pay the rent. We got out of 
anything to eat. I went over to Mr. Lambert's and Mrs. 
Lambert gave me a sack of flour. I left there after 
dark, and as I passed some chickens on the fence I 
pulled two of their heads off and took them, too. So 
we had bread and chicken. That was the only time 
necessity ever caused me to steal, and my brother-in- 
law got me into that. I will say right here that was 
as near as we came suffering for anything to eat since 
we kept house. 



92 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I went and hired to my wife's cousin, Mr. Sie 
Lambert. He had the name of being so mean to 
hands they would not stay with him. I moved near 
there, went to work for fifty cents a day, and he 
boarded me when I was at work. I had to go be- 
fore day and feed and had to feed at night. He gave 
my brother-in-law a job of cleaning ground. He had 
to grub the small trees and all the saplings. He 
worked one-half day and quit. I had to borrow $3.00 
when I began work. It took just $3.00 a week to 
feed the family and I made just $3.00 a week, and 
I had to work rain or shine. I grubbed in the rain 
when I could not see three hundred yards for the 
water falling. It was work or poor orphan children 
do without bread, for their father had left and was 
not helping me take care of them. He had whipped 
the oldest girl with a board and she had left home, 
so that left three children and my wife to feed and 
I was the only man to work for it. The man I was 
working for was mad because I kept the children, 
and every Saturday night I had to borrow $3.00 to 
get food for the next week, and I would hate to ask 
him for it. He would curse and say I had better 
let Moore take care of his own children. I could 
not turn them out to starve. He said if I would 
not keep them Moore would take them. I would go 
off and sit down and study and cry and did not 
know what to do. I would think of the money I had 
run through with and I never had to humble to any * 
man. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 93 

I finally got lame with two boils on my ankle. 
I could not walk when I would first get up. One 
day Albert Dutton, Mr. Lambert, and myself had 
been working a road through the field and came by 
the house. They went in to get a drink. I sat on 
the stile and held my foot up till they came out, 
and Mr. Lambert said, "Come, let us go." I tried 
to walk and could not. I fell back on the stile 
and said, "Sie, I can not go; I will have to quit." 
He said he could stand that on his tongue. I said, 
"You might; I can not stand it on my foot." The 
very fires of hell flashed over my whole being and 
murder leaped in my heart, and I would as soon 
have killed a man as eat a good meal. 

I hobbled home and the next day I sent for Albert 
Dutton. He was at work for .uambert. He came. 
I pawned him my gun for $3.00 and went and paid 
Mr. Lambert, and sent Mr. Moore word to come and 
get his children, so he did. I asked Mr. M. D. Price, 
who married my wife 's cousin, to keep my wife till 
I could work and get some money to buy something 
to keep house on. He granted my request. I went 
and hired to Jerry Simmons on my father's old farm 
to dig potatoes. He gave me one dollar a day. 
I worked six days, had a pair of boots made which 
cost me $4.00. That left me $2.00. I thought I 
would just step over and go to work for another man. 
I walked two days. Everybody had all the hands 
they wanted, as a great many men came over from 



94 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Kentucky. I did not know what to do. I just had 
$2.00, a new pair of boots, and a wife, and she had 
been boarding a week. I had found out that the 
majority of my wife's people thought I would leave 
her. So I thought I would go to where my wife was 
and tell her the trouble. When I got there she was 
sick. A doctor was passing, I called him in and he 
charged me a dollar, so that just left me with one 
dollar. 

Mr. Price lived in the home with Alex Fraley and 
had his farm leased. Fraley killed a beef on Sun- 
day imorning. I helped him. He got rid of all but 
one quarter, and some fellow failed to take it as 
contracted and Fraley was mad at everybody. We 
went to eat dinner, and Fraley looked at me and 
remarked, "You had better take that quarter of 
beef and go to housekeeping and quit sponging on 
people." That was my first blow like that. I could 
not eat another bite. I went out to the barn and 
sat there weeping and reaping what I had sown. Mr. 
Price came to me and said, "You need not pay any 
attention to Alex; he does not furnish the grub here, 
and you are just as welcome here as he is. ' ' I asked 
him if he would loan me $5.00 till Christmas. He 
said, "Yes, and more if you want it." I told him 
$5.00 would do. 

I went over to Mr. Sie Lambert's, the man I had 
quit. He had no help and was glad to see me. We 
soon made a trade, but better wages than before. I 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 95 

went back, told my wife, borrowed a horse, and went 
to Shawneetown and bought me a skillet and lid, 
a frying-pan, three plates, three knives and forks, a 
coffee pot, and twenty-five cents' worth each of coffee, 
tea and sugar, and twenty-five pounds of flour, put 
them in a sack and brought them to the house where 
I had kept house with the children, as our clothes were 
there. My wife had a bed and sheet and one quilt. 
I went to Mr. Lambert's next day and dug potatoes 
until sundown. We sorted them as we dug them and 
left the seed in piles on the ground. We then picked 
up the seed. It was dark and the potatoes were to 
cover with dirt. I said to Mr. L. and to Mr. Elbert 
Kill gore, " Can't you cover the potatoes and let me go 
and get my wife?" Lambert said, "You had as well 
finish your day. ' ' Killgore said, ' ' Go get your wife, 
I will finish your day if it takes me all night.' ■ 

I went to the old house and built a big fire, then 
went to Mr. Price's after my wife. I had a lamp, 
but no oil. They begged me to stay all night. I 
said, "No, we must go to-night." It was night and 
we had to cross the backwater on a small elm log 
just about two inches out of the water. The water 
was about ten feet deep. We came to the water; 
wife said she would go back and come to-morrow. 
I said, "No, you will go now, or never." I carried 
the valise over. She got on her knees and crawled. 
I walked backwards before her and held her by her 
shoulders and her dress was floating on the water. 



96 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I thought she surely loved me. We got to the house, 
I pulled out a trunk and invited her to have a seat. 
I untied the sack and pulled out the skillet and fry- 
ing-pan and other things. I said, ' ' Here is our house 
plunder." She looked very sad. I teased her a 
little while. She began to look around and say, 
"How can we stay here?" We began to make our 
plan. She got her first meal on the fireplace. We 
had an old bedstead, and she had a bed, one quilt, 
and a sheet. I had a large blanket I had used for 
flatboating. I then used it for a saddle-blanket. We 
had plenty of clothes, and used them for cover. 

We got along nicely for a few days. My wife said 
she was very lonesome and she wanted to go to her 
uncle's and get a dog I had there. I told her to 
go. She was to be back that night. She did not 
come back for three days and nights. We were 
shucking corn about a quarter of a mile from where 
I lived. Just the fourth night after she went we 
heard her singing very loud. Sie said, "Just let 
her stay alone and it will learn her a lesson." I 
thought about her crawling the log for me. I went 
home after night a while. She ran to kiss me. I 
pushed her away and she cried. I said, "Where is 
Flora?" that was my dog's name. She said, "I for- 
got her." She also said aunt Fannie gave her some 
chickens, still trying to get me to notice her. I would 
not let her kiss me. She would cry, and said if I 
would just forgive her she would never do me that 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 97 

way again. I asked her if her aunt did not persuade 
her to leave me. She said she did and then gave 
her the chickens to keep her from telling me. 

We lived there until the spring of 1883, when I 
made a trade with Mr. W. D. Rice to move on Alex 
Fraley's farm and have a share crop. We had got 
pretty well fixed in our home. There was a young 
lady by the name of Frances Patton, that was a 
great friend of mine and my wife also. She had her 
confidence betrayed by a lover and was turned out 
of a home and we took her. She brought suit against 
the man and got $50.00, and she gave us the money 
to keep her until she died, for she said she would 
not live long, and she did not. I would sit up and 
take care of her by night and work by day. She put 
an end to her life right in its bloom, and the man has 
lived a life of disgrace and shame, and I think a life 
of trouble also. 

We lived on Fraley's farm and raised a crop. Mr. 
Ewing Lambert was friendly with me and let us have 
a cow to milk. Wife and I got to quarreling a great 
deal. I could not keep her away from Price's. She 
wanted to go there just as soon as I would leave. 
Mrs. Price was her cousin and seemed to think a great 
deal of her, as they were raised together. I came 
to Price's one evening. It was raining and my wife 
was there. I spoke to her about being there and T 
was mad. She got mad, and just as soon as it quit 
raining she went home through a wheat-field. The 



98 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

wheat was wet and as high as her head. I fed and 
went home. Wife was milking. Her clothes were as 
wet as water would make them. She had a rope 
looped around the calf's neck, and the other end of 
the rope was tied to the fence. The calf was choked 
down. I hollowed at her and told her to loose the rope, 
the calf was choking to death. She said she would 
not do it. I started at her, got near enough to hit 
her and found she was ready for a fight. I was very 
mad, and I just ran away off down the hill and hid 
and cried my mad spell off. I went back to the house 
and told her I would stay with her until she got 
well, then I would leave her, I would not live that 
way. She tried to make friends as usual, when I 
would not make friends with her. She said she 
would kill herself. I was lying on the floor, as we 
only had one bed. She went out in the dark and 
staid quite a while. I got uneasy about her. I knew 
she was cowardly. Just as I got up to go and see 
about her she came in and was mad because I did 
not follow her; said I didn't care if she did kill her- 
self. 

We went to Elizabethtown to stay until she got 
well. I had an aunt who lived there. She was to 
furnish the house and I the provisions. On the 30th 
day of December my wife gave birth to a son. We 
named him Charles E. Brown. My aunt and my 
wife disagreed. When the boy was three weeks old 
I hired a horse and buggy and started home. The 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 99 

buggy broke down and we had to go back. I then 
hired some man to take us to Cave in Rock, 111. Got 
horses there and got as near home as we could for 
water, then hired a boat. The water was very high. 
This was January, 1884. 

When we reached home another man lived in our 
house and a part of our things were gone and we 
never did get them. I then moved to Sie Lambert's 
and worked for him until fall, when John D. Rich- 
ardson made me power of attorney over his land in 
Hardin County. Lambert was afraid I was going to 
make too much money out of it and he would lose 
me. He wanted my work, so he went to Richardson 
and got him to take the contract away from me, 
which he did by telling me he would wait a while. 
He was to give me all the damage I was to get out 
of parties that had cut timber off of his land. I 
found forty acres stripped of good timber and the 
damage would have made me a nice lot of money. 
I was getting after the parties who cut the timber 
and when Lambert saw there was a prospect of me 
getting where I would not have to work for him he 
undermined me. I left him and hired to John Lam- 
bert and worked for him until March. 

There was a young man by the name of Carter 
Brackins, who also worked for Lambert. He got me 
to go and steal a girl for him and they married at 
my house. I lived there a while. My wife got 
jealous and she and I parted, or rather I left her 

Lof c. 



100 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and loaned Brackins my house furniture until he 
left his wife, then I sold it. I staid away from my 
wife and child one year. I saw them once a month. 
I borrowed money from Alex Fraley to buy horses. 
I gave him one-half of the profit. I would buy mares 
in Hardin and Pope Counties, 111., paying from 
$100.00 to $110.00 each. I would take them to Union 
and Webster Counties, Ky. and sell them for $150.00 
and $160.00 each. I made good money for a while. 
When trade slacked up, Fraley got scared and 
wanted me to give him a note and security. I got 
money from another man and paid him up, and the 
other man furnished me with money. 

I did well for a while, then I got on a protracted 
drunk, which lasted four weeks. I had traded for a 
crop of corn at Fords Ferry, Ky. and boarded at 
Dr. Marble's. I had a stopping place at George 
Shear's in Hardin Co., 111., and at John Lambert's, 
Pots Hill, 111., also at Mrs. Susan Grubb's in Union 
Co., Ky., where the town of Sturgis now stands. 
There was no town there then, nor any railroad. 

I Avas at Marion. Ky, attending the fair. I was 
drunk, had been for four weeks. There was a crowd 
of young men there drunk. One night I got in com- 
pany with them. Of course I looked rough. There 
was one that made fun of me. He told the boys if 
he could get me out of town he would whip me. 
One of them told me privately. I told him to just 
let him work it. So he did purpose that we all would 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 101 

walk out of town, which we did. He would call me 
Mr. John Brown. He called for all to form a line. 
We did. He said when he called the roll all that 
did not answer I, he would whip them. He called 
Mr. John Brown. I answered differently. I had my 
saddle-pockets on my shoulder with a quart of whis- 
ky in one end and a swamp angel thirty-eight caliber 
pistol in the other end. He said, "Let us have some- 
thing to drink; let us try some of Mr. John Brown's 
whisky." I said, "I have a better quality here, 
would you like some of it ? " He said yes. We were 
all in a line. He was in front of us and I just 
pulled my pistol out and went to shooting at him. 
He did not stay to see what would happen. I shot 
at him as long as I could see him, but was too 
nervous to hit him. 

He went to town. We followed on and went in 
Tom William's hotel. We went up stairs. It was 
between 12 o'clock and daylight. We went into 
a large room. There was one bed on the floor and 
four beds on steads. One man was in the bed on the 
floor, the other beds were filled. There was but one 
quilt on the bed on the floor. We pulled some of the 
quilts off of the beds and were spreading them on 
the bed on the floor, where we intended to sleep, 
when I discovered it was the man I had shot at. I 
jumped astraddle of him and said, "Hello! here is 
Mr. John Brown I " I asked him if he wanted some 
more to drink ; he said no. I pulled out my bottle 



102 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and insisted on him drinking. He said he would. 
I would rub the bottle over his face, then I would 
drink luck to him. He seemed scared for fear I 
would pull the pistol again, and I might have done 
that, but I had wakened all that were in the room by 
this time and some one called me. I went to their bed, 
it was Jim McParland from Elizabethtown, 111. He 
caught me by the arm and throwed me behind him 
in the bed and held me until I went to sleep. When 
I woke all the gang was gone. 

Jim and I went down stairs and were in the 
saloon drinking. I went out on the street to see 
about my horses and the marshal arrested me. Sev- 
eral said they would stand good for my appearance. 
This was about Thursday. That night a man told 
me what I had done and said I had better leave the 
country, so I crossed the river that night at Fords 
Ferry. George Adkins and Jim McConnel (who now 
live near Sheridan, Ky.) took me across the river. 
I could not walk alone and Adkins went with me to 
George Shear's. I laid down, but did not sleep much, 
for I saw my condition, as never before. I got up 
next morning, called Adkins and asked him if he 
wanted to see me drink my last whisky for twelve 
months. He said yes. I picked up the bottle with a 
half pint of whisky and drank it and said I would 
go back to Marion, Ky. and give myself up to the 
law. I could not leave my bondsman, as I thought 
I had filed a bond. I got to Fords Ferry and was so 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 103 

nervous I could get no further. I waited until 
Monday and went to town. The marshal, old man 
Hadley Long, was the first man I saw. God bless 
him! I called him to me and asked him what I had 
done. He told me he had followed us out of town 
and saw me shoot at the man. He also said he knew 
it was no use to try to do anything with the gang 
himself. He said he had been watching us all night, 
had gone and got help to arrest us and just as he 
came around the corner he saw us go in the hotel 
and he thought if we would stay there and behave 
he would let us alone until morning, as he did not 
want to put me in jail. I told him if he would help 
me out of this I would not drink any more for twelve 
months and show the people I could be a man. He 
said he loved my father and used to go to school 
to him, and for the love he had for him he would let 
it pass as there was no writ issued, and the other 
boys were gone and no one knew them, neither did 
they know where they went. 

So I went and got my wife and child and brought 
them to Fords Ferry, Ky. I told Ewing Lambert 
and John if they would back me I would not drink 
for twelve months. They helped me to fit up teams 
and I went to hauling goods from Fords Ferry to 
Marion, and tobacco from Marion to Fords Ferry. 
I did well then for nine months. I ran three wagons 
in that way. I then went to railroading, took con- 
tracts on what was known as the 0. V. R. R. It now 



104 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

belongs to the I. C. ; runs from Evansville to Prince- 
ton. I never drank for a year except when bitters 
were prescribed for me by the doctor as medicine, 
which kindled the appetite. 

As soon as my year was out I got drunk. My 
will power was gone. I never could quit any more 
in my own strength. I tried to keep it hid from my 
wife. She and my half-brother, Andrew Brown, and 
my two children lived at Weston, Ky. at that time. I 
was camping at Blackford, Ky., fifteen miles from 
Weston. I received a check on Uniontown bank. 
Bill Shearden, my partner, and I started there to 
get it cashed. On our return we called at Linley's 
distillery and bought a quart of corn whisky. I got 
drunk. We stopped at Sam Boone's to pay a debt 
of $40.00 which we owed him for feed. We went to 
dinner and I went to sleep at the table. They got me 
in the front room. Sheardon took my pocketbook 
out of my pocket and paid Boone and returned 
the pocketbook to my pocket. There was a man 
there from Henderson, Ky. on business. Boone and 
family started to a funeral. Sheardon went to the 
barn after our horses and left the stranger and me 
in the house alone. Sheardon had just got to the 
yard gate with the horses when he heard a racket 
in the house. The man ran to the door and said I 
had jumped in the fire. He ran into the house and 
I had run my head right under the forestick in the 
fire. He was just ready to jump on the man. I told 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 105 

him not to hurt him, I had done it myself. He 
thought the man had knocked me into the fire trying 
to rob me. He found my money all right, but my 
forehead and the top of my head was badly burned. 
We went to camp. George Shear was cook, also our 
partner in business. He and Sheardon dressed my 
head as best they could. I staid in camp a few days 
and took cold in my head. I decided I had better 
go home, so I did and told my wife I had erysipelas. 
I told Bob Haynes, a druggist, also a friend, the 
truth of the matter. He told deaf and dumb Johnnie 
McConnel, so he came in a crowd where I was and 
began to laugh and make a great ado, spelling on his 
fingers, telling the secret. I knew my wife would get 
hold of it, so I went to the house and told her. To 
be sure it was heartrending to her, for she knew what 
would follow. 

Right here was one of the most trying things of 
my life. I could see I was ruined, my will power 
broke, my home tore up, my property at stake as 
well as my life. None but God could mend the 
chain, and God I did not know, and from what I 
had seen of professors and preachers, God I doubted. 

I soon went back to my camp, also went to drink- 
ing very hard. Came home one Saturday night in- 
tending to go back Sunday. Wife begged me to stay 
until Monday. I did. We just had two children, 
which was Charles E. Brown, who was three years 
old, and Fanny Brown, eight months old. She was 



106 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

getting to be quite sweet to me. She could jabber 
and play. Monday morning after breakfast I walked 
out to R. P. Haynes' store. He kept drugs, dry- 
goods and whisky. He had a good trade, but no 
clerks. He asked me to stay at the store until he 
took a walk. I consented, and while I was there Dr. 
Bolden's boy came and wanted me to fill a pre- 
scription. I told him he would have to wait until 
Bob came. When he came I told him there was Joe, 
who wanted a prescription filled. Haynes took it 
and looked up at me and says, ''What do you want 
with that?" I said I did not know anything about 
it. The boy said, " Fanny is having fits." Haynes 
said, "You had better go and see; you do not want 
to give your child this stuff." 

When I got to the house it was one of the most 
heartrending sights I had ever witnessed up to that 
time. The babe that was the idol of my heart, and 
which I had just left a short time before jabbering 
and cooing, was now having a hard fit, just tearing 
her long black curly hair out with her little hands. 
I did not know God. I knew nothing but to do what 
the doctor said whether he was of any account or 
not. I had the poison prescription filled and let the 
doctor go to work on her. He got her under the 
influence of chloral and had me to get some stimulant 
(which he drank himself), and every time she would 
get under the influence of the opiates she would have 
fits. I think this went on for seven days. Her eyes 
swelled out of the sockets. 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 107 

My heart was torn, I felt a call from God. I was 
sitting by the bed looking at my babe, the seventh 
night, and was just about to decide to give my heart 
to God. The doctor and a man who is now the 
county judge of Hardin Co., 111. were sitting there. 
They saw I was bothered. They were both infidels, 
also smart men so far as the wisdom of this world 
is concerned. The judge was a man whom I dearly 
loved, and I thought he loved me. I listened to 
them. Their argument was this: Some people say 
God will afflict a child for the sins of its parents. 
One said, " Don't you know that a God who would 
afflict a child as this one has been and is now for the 
sins of its parents, is not a just God?" I was listen- 
ing to their talk. I decided with them, and my child 
died in a few minutes; and the Spirit that had so 
often called me took its flight and I went into infi- 
delity and was a total wreck for eight long years. 
Human tongue can not express it ; pen can not write 
and mind can hardly perceive what I went through. 
My poor wife and child shed enough tears to drown 
me. Christian people, or rather professors, pushed 
me off, my health grew worse, my life was of ill fame 
and recklessness, my home was a gambling-den and 
whisky shop, discord and sorrow. 

God pity a poor wreck that is so blinded by satanic 
powers and hypocrisy that he can not see the move 
of God's hand. Day and night, hours and moments, 
I would drink until I would get so crazy I would 



108 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

have to be guarded. Then while in that condition I 
would pray for God to spare my life to raise my boy 
Charley. He commenced saying his prayers at two 
years old. At five he began praying for me, and 
when I would be gone he would see his mother look- 
ing so sad. He would go and ask her if she did not 
want him to pray for her. Just look at the goodness 
of God in letting the light shine in a sin-cursed home 
when God was not recognized by man, but by a 
little five-year-old child of a drunken man and a 
sinful woman! Yet we could not see. I know of 
times when I would come home drunk and wife's 
patience would be so worn out she would quarrel 
at me. I would leave the house and lie out on the 
ground and go to sleep. When I would wake up 
Charley would be lying by me with his little hands 
and arms over me, so when I would get up it would 
wake him. I would come home drunk after promis- 
ing wife, child and friends I would die before I 
would drink any more. I would see my sad wife 
and child, then I would go out alone and cry be- 
cause I could not be a man and show my family 
I loved them. They thought I did not care. People 
would tell my wife to leave me, for I did not care 
anything for her; but she would say, "No; I will try 
him a while longer." People that talk that way do 
not have the least idea about the whisky habit. God 
pity a poor drunkard ! 

This eight years of my life is almost lost to my 



DRUNKENNESS AND INFIDELITY. 109 

memory, or a great deal of it at least, for I was 
crazy a part of the time and under guards. This was 
one of the most business parts of my life. I made 
more money and handled more that eight years than 
in all the rest of my life. I suppose my books show 
it. And it did me and my family less good and more 
harm than all the money I ever had. One spring my 
assessments were over three thousand dollars, and the 
next spring they were fifteen dollars in the same 
town. It seemed God never intended for me to be- 
come rich or get to where I could keep money, and 
if I had, likely I never would have been any better. 
At one time I made six hundred and forty dollars 
in twelve days, and it was not long until I did not 
know where it went to. I would be running public 
works one year and the next year be working for 
small wages for some one else. I was drunk one 
time just after a loss of everything I had and my 
niece that lived with me married my bookkeeper. TLe 
was a sot drunkard and I thought had a great deal 
to do with breaking me up. I was mad at myself, 
and thought I would kill myself. It seems like a 
dream, but I was in the barn and had made all 
arrangements. As I put the knife up to my throat 
my wife sprang in at the door and screamed and 
grabbed me. Now some one will say, ' ' He would not 
have killed himself." But every total wreck that 
reads this and who has witnessed the whisky habit as a 
disease will say, "Yes, he would, for he thought that 



110 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

was all the way out." A man gets where he prefers 
death. 

Now during all the eight years of dark life I did 
a great deal of good to the poor and orphans. I was 
a father to many a poor orphan girl, which you may 
think strange, and no doubt will say I ruined more 
than I saved. I will say right here, knowing I will 
have to face this at the judgment, I never destroyed 
the character of another girl after I married, but 
have been a father and adviser to many, as some 
who yet live can tell you that as hard a fight as I 
ever had was trying to protect a girl's character and 
I was drunk. I do not say that I lived a virtuous 
life and true to my wife while an infidel, but I 
do say that when I had a girl born into the world, 
and looked back over my past life, my conscience 
checked me from pulling down poor girls. Yet there 
are some that would not trust me yet; but I had a 
better record among girls than that when an infidel. 
There is something in my observation as I pen these 
lines that makes this more impressive on my mind. 
How little some people value the God in a saved 
man ! Now I did not object to putting soot on soot, 
but I did not care to soot that which was clean, 
and many poor girls were at my will and looked to 
me for advice, as my wife is a living witness to these 
things. 



CHAPTER VII. 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 

Meets with Loss.— Trouble with Sawmill Men.— Lawsuit.— 
Hires for Fifty Cents per Day.— Falls under Wagon Wheel. 
—Mrs. J. E. Lambert.— Agitated over Troubles.— Whisky 
Again.— Locked Up.— Falls from a Fence.— Another Son.— 
Child Sick, but Eecovers. — Continues to Drink Heavily. — 
Whisky Torture.— Takes the Last Drink.— Goes to Meeting. 
—Willis Bunch.— Divine Healing.— Prayer Answered.— 
Life at About an End.— Given Up to Die.— Counts Cost of 
Being a Christian.— 

Now I shall not give all my dark life of infidelity, 
but just some sketches. I was raising my half- 
brother. I did not want him to drink nor gamble 
nor chew tobacco; but I did all these things before 
him; so of course he made a gambler and had the 
whisky habit before he was near grown. Many 
parents make this mistake. 

Now during these eight years I met with many 
troubles. When in the sawmill business I met with 
a great loss and was sold out. I had given nineteen 
hundred dollars for my mill. It brought nine hun- 
dred, and my teams and all that I had went accord- 
ingly. All that I had left was my house goods, my 
wife's cow, and my saddle-horse. We did not have 
three days' provisions in the house or six bits in 
111 



112 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

money. I went to the saloon for comfort. I could 
always get whisky. There was a crowd that had me 
in a livery-stable (this was in Marion, Ky.) and I 
would give orders and they would go and get whisky, 
one quart after another, until I became so drunk 
I could not walk. Then they began to try to get 
my gold watch and chain. I tried to go home, as 
I lived in the suburbs of town. They hung on to 
me and I fell by a brick building. They helped me 
to sit up. I was leaning against the brick wall. The 
crowd was still around me. I knew what they were 
trying to do, but could not help myself only to just 
hold to my watch. T. J. Nunn, an attorney at law, 
who was also a friend of mine, came along the side- 
walk by us. I recognized him and called him to 
come to me, and he came. I told him to take me 
away from that gang. He put his arms around me 
like a father would a fallen son and took me to his 
office. There were his partners in law, W. S. Cruse 
and Ed Frank, who all showed me sympathy and 
love. They tried to reconcile me. I wanted to go 
home. They took my watch and chain off of me and 
held me there till I went to sleep. When I woke 
Mr. Nunn was by my side. He said, "Willis, why 
don't you be a man and do something? why do you 
let down this way?" I said, "I haven't anything 
to do with; I haven't three days' provisions, and 
not a friend on earth." He said, "Yes, you have 
lots of friends and you can get anything you want 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 113 

if you will just sober up and be a man. Now," 
he says, "you can buy a team and go to logging. 
Do you know where you can get a contract V I 
said, "Yes, but I have nothing to go on." He said, 
"I will go with you to the grocery-store and stand 
good for your supplies," which he did, and I bought 
another logging team and went to logging, but kept 
drinking, and soon was flat again. Whisky caused it 
all. God pity a drunkard that has sold his will 
power to the devil ! You will say I could have quit. 
You don't know. T. J. Nunn is now circuit judge 
and lives at Madisonville, Ky. God bless him! 

I was running a big mill one time, cost nineteen 
hundred dollars, capacity fifteen thousand feet of 
lumber a day. I was working about fifty men, had 
contract for cutting the timber off of five hundred 
acres of land. When the lumber was inspected it was 
not cut to dimensions, some of it. I spoke to the saw- 
yer, but he did not pay much attention. My partner, 
W. P. Shearden, who now lives at Lamb, 111., was one 
of the best fellows I ever saw. Anything I did was 
all right, and he was just that way with any one he 
liked. He liked the sawyer and did not want to run 
him off, but I went and got another man. When he 
came the majority of the men knew him, as they were 
all from the same country, but all strangers to me 
and Shearden. I gave orders for the new man to 
take the lever, told the other man if he would stay 
he could have the edger. I liked him as a hand but 



114 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

not as the head sawyer, but he would not stay. They 
all started to work. It was not long until my partner 
came to the office and told me they were just about 
to string that man and I had better let him go and 
keep the other man. I said no; we can not afford 
to let the hands run our business. He said, "Well, 
we will have a terrible racket and you will just have 
to go and settle it." We went down where they 
were. The new man was surrounded by several men, 
had just about eight feet of space. He was walking 
back and forth. He looked wild out of his eyes, was 
very pale, and said: "Mr. Brown, I had better leave, 
the boys don't want me here." I crowded in where 
he was, told them they could not run my business. 
One fellow strutted by me with a revolver sticking 
in his hip pocket. I told him that old pistol did not 
scare me, that I ate them every morning for break- 
fast. They claimed to be toughs from Hog's Jaw, 
Term. They were all well acquainted with Garret, 
the new sawyer. He told them he had agreed to cut 
me fifteen thousand feet of lumber if I would put 
the logs to the saw and take the lumber away. He 
looked at one man named Mat Allen and said, "Can 
I do this? you have often carried lumber for me." 
Allen with an oath said, "Yes, you can cut too much 
to suit me; that is what is the matter with me; I 
don 't want to handle it this hot weather. ' ' The crew 
all quit, but I kept the new sawyer. He proved to 
be a good sawyer. If he or any one else that was impli- 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 115 

c^ted in that fuss reads this, please write to me at 
Reddick, 111., R. F. D. No. 1, and I will gladly answer 
you. If you do not write, please forgive me for any 
mistakes I may have made. I freely forgive you all 
now. 

That contract wound up with a lawsuit between 
myself and Mr. J. Pierce, Salem, Ky. We first had 
a suit in circuit court, Marion, Ky. I beat him and 
he got a new trial at the same place. I beat him 
again. He took it to the court of appeals, and I beat 
him again. In the beginning, before I sued him, I 
proposed to him to let his bookkeeper and my book- 
keeper and his attorney and my attorney take the 
books and contracts and I would stand by their de- 
cision, and I would give him one hundred dollars 
to settle it that way. He said he could not settle 
by those contracts. I told him I would sue him. 
He said he would law me for all he was worth. I 
told him all right, he had the money and I had the 
wind. He could buy evidence, but I proposed to 
law him honorably and friendly, that I could sit in 
the court-house and law him all day and sleep with 
him at night, and that his not paying me would break 
me up, but I would law him as long as I had money, 
and then would take the pauper's oath and still law 
him. I kept my word. I would shake hands with 
him every morning when he would let me. I did 
not have to take the pauper's oath, but did get to 
where I had to work for fifty cents a day before the 



116 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

suit was settled. Mr. Pierce had refused to cash my 
orders before I sued him, and after I sued him he 
went and bought them up, and when I was put on 
the stand his attorney, J. W. Bluecen, presented the 
orders and accounts. My attorneys, T. J. Nunn and 
W. S. Cruse, objected, said he had refused to cash 
these orders and now had gone and bought them in 
at forty cents on the dollar. The judge said if this 
be the case that Pierce bought the accounts and 
orders since I brought the suit, I did not have to 
accept them. I said I didn't know Mr. Pierce had 
them, but that didn't make any difference with me, 
I had sued him to pay my debts and if he could bring 
up enough against me to pay what he owed me, why, 
all right: so I accepted the orders and accounts that 
were just and what were not just I did not accept. 
The amount I had sued him for was sixteen hundred 
and fifty dollars and sixty cents. It cost him twenty- 
five hundred dollars, I was told; and I suppose he 
holds malice against me yet. I wish to say right 
here, although it broke me up, I hold no malice 
against him and am sorry it ever came up. It is all 
under the blood with me. 

After this I went and hired to Garland Carter to 
work for fifty cents a day, and my half-brother, 
whom I was raising, at twenty-five cents a day. He 
owned a farm of nine hunderd acres six miles east 
of Marion, Ky. He was a large farmer and stock- 
raiser and known as Hog Carter. He was to give 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 117 

me my dinner when I was working a team so that 
I could tend to my team. I was to eat my break- 
fast and supper at home. This was quite a change 
from working fifty men and having business with 
the leading firms of different cities to step down to 
this position to be bossed by a twenty-year-old lad 
that didn't know what day of the month the Fourth 
of July came on. He was very green and my brother 
was witty and full of fun and he asked the boss what 
day of the month the Fourth of July came on. He 
studied a while and said he believed about the 
twentieth. Carter worked several hands. They did 
not work but fooled away time. 

Christmas came and I went to Illinois and made 
arrangements to move there. I came back and Carter 
found it out. He took me in the hog-lot and said 
he wanted me to pick out my hogs to make my meat 
and we would butcher them while the boys were 
taking Christmas. I told him I could not work any 
longer for the price. He said, "You are living all 
right, are you not?" I said, "Yes, as long as we all 
stay able to work, but when some of my family gets 
sick, then I will be left." He said they never did 
know any one to starve who worked for him. Now 
I said, ' ' Mr. Carter, you need a man here that knows 
how to run this farm and take charge of the hands. 
I can take my brother and do as much as all your 
men do in a day." He said, "I will just fix that 
house for you and furnish your feed for your cow 



118 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and the house-rent free and give you $28.00 a month 
straight time, and you take charge of my farm 
and stock and hands." So we agreed on that. I 
staid with him until the next December and he and 
I were intimate friends. When I left he said, "Just 
set your price and stay; I will give it." I told him 
we had better part while we were friends, as parties 
were trying to make trouble between us. 

I then moved to Illinois, rented a farm, but became 
dissatisfied and hired to Ed Lambert to work in the 
river-bottoms and wife to keep house and cook for 
hands. We staid until crops were laid by. I kept 
up my drinking. We were going to Shawneetown 
fair. I was driving a wagon and was in front of 
the other wagons. I had my family and John Lam- 
bert's family in the wagon and I was drunk. I fell 
out of the wagon and the front wheel ran over me 
and smashed my left breast in and broke four ribs 
loose from the backbone. I was put in the wagon to 
be hauled home, but the bones jagged me and crushed 
together so I could not stand the jolt of the wagon. 
I got out and walked home, took my bed, and Dr. 
Casedy was brought. He dressed the wounds, set the 
bones the best he could, and left. That evening a 
drunk fellow came and told me the doctor said I 
would get along all right and then called my wife 
just outside the door and told her, so I could hear, 
that the doctor said there was no chance for me, 
I was bound to die. I could hear, but I was not 
vexed. 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 119 

My employer came home. He was mad at me be- 
cause I got hurt. He took the hands and went to 
the hills to his mother's to sow wheat and left my 
wife, children and myself without food. I sent for 
his half-brother, J. E. Lambert, as he lived close. 
He came and I told him Ed owed me and had left 
me without food or money and if he would furnish 
us something to eat I would pay him. He said 
that was all right and as soon as I could go he 
would take us to his home as his wife was in the 
last stage of consumption; so we soon went there. I 
could walk around a little and be up part of the 
time and use my right arm. I was fanning the flies 
off of Mrs. Lambert. When she would strangle I 
would lean over her and she would catch around my 
neck. I would raise up with her and she would 
take the phlegm out of her throat with her finger 
and then she would revive and would talk. She was 
a very industrious woman, and the reason I had to 
wait on her she had my wife and her mother canning 
fruit. She talked to me a great deal that day and 
told me I ought to be a better man and encourage 
Charley, my boy, for she thought he was going to be 
a preacher. 

Next morning at 7 o'clock she died and was laid 
away and her husband went to his brother's. All 
was left in my charge. My wife and the hands moved 
our things up there. Night came and I was left 
with the children while they went after the chickens. 



120 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I never felt as bad in my life. I had witnessed many 
deaths and had staid where many had died. I was 
not known as a coward. I did not believe in ghosts, 
but I looked for that woman to step in. I could 
imagine I could hear her smothering. I would look 
for the door to open. I was rocking the cradle, which 
our baby was in. Charley was sitting there. He was 
a very deep child. I thought a great deal of his 
judgment. He had kept me out of a great deal of 
trouble. He looked very sad, I saw he was studying 
about something. I thought I would try to sing. 
I began to hum the best I could: "There is room 
enough in heaven for all that will come; there is 
room enough in heaven for me." He looked up at 
me with tears in his eyes and said, "Papa, I hope 
there is room enough in heaven for you." I was 
shocked. I did not know how to answer a seven-year- 
old child that would make such an expression as 
that, and at the same time looking for a dead woman 
to come into the room. I studied a moment. I had 
always been puzzled at his actions, so I said, 
"Charley, don't you bother about me, you do right 
anyway; ' Every tub stands on its own bottom.' " 
But I was not feeling right. Wife came, I soon went 
to bed. I lay and studied my condition. I resolved 
if I could get well I would be a different man and 
not drink and give my family any more trouble. 

I improved very fast and in a few days was able 
to hitch to the buggy and go to town by taking 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 121 

Charley to help me, as I could move but one hand. 
The appetite had come for whisky. I got drunk and 
got a jug of whisky and the child had to bring me 
home. Wife was all out of humor, of course. I took 
a nap, went out and had the buggy hitched and 
started. Wife would not let the child go, as she 
thought it was better for one to be killed than two. 
I went as far as John Lambert's. He was gone. I 
was on my way to a big rally and dance at Decker 
Springs. Mrs. John Lambert was a good woman and 
had sympathy for me. She said if I would stop there 
she would go with me. The hands and all the family 
were going next morning. I held her to her promise. 
She said she would go if I would not get on a 
drunk. I told her I would not, and when I would 
go to drink she would say, "Now what did you 
promise me?" I loved her as a sister and respected 
her as such. She was one of the best women I ever 
saw. She kept me from getting drunk and kept me 
from getting into trouble. When fellows would call 
me off to get me to drink she would tell them to let 
me alone, I had to take care of her, that she was 
depending on me to take her home, and they would 
let me alone. I returned home, had received a general 
chastising from Mrs. Lambert in love, and went home 
ashamed of the way I had gone off against my wife's 
will when she had waited on me like a baby while 
I could not help myself. Mrs. Lambert was my wife 's 
cousin's wife. He and I were both drunkards and 



122 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

great friends and followed fairs. We would be gone 
on a spree, spend our money at places of ill fame, 
and when we would come home Mrs. Lambert was 
always jovial and glad to see us. My wife was not 
so jovial; she would be mad for a while, or act so; 
but she was not to blame, it was trying on a poor 
woman to see a man make a brute out of himself and 
run through with all they had. God pity a drunk- 
ard's wife ! Be careful, girls. 

Now just before I was injured, on the Fourth of 
July, 1892, I went to Shawneetown, 111. to attend the 
races. I sent and got a quart of whisky and had it 
brought to Sant Pruett's livery-stable. He, others 
and myself drank. Others also had whisky. We hid 
it in a stall. I was drunk and took a man in to 
treat him. As I went out of the stable Pruett hit 
me in the back of the head and knocked me down. 
As I rose to my feet he shoved me out of the door. 
I turned around and saw he had the advantage of 
me. I went around in the alley, sat down and studied 
a while and decided to go call him to the door and 
talk to him, and I did go in front of the door and 
call him. He jerked down a carriage neck-yoke that 
he had fixed to fight with and came running at me. 
I watched till he made his lick, when I dodged be- 
hind Ed Lambert and jerked my knife out. I ran 
around Lambert cutting at him and he was striking 
at me with the club. Jim Hethering jerked the 
neck-yoke out of his hands, the marshal knocked my 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 123 

knife out of my hand and grabbed me and took me 
and locked me up and left Pruett to knock down 
whom he pleased. 

Now to show the injustice of officers, there was a 
man in jail wild drunk when they put me in and he 
had flourished a pistol, but he was taking on wonder- 
fully about a man of his standing being in jail. I 
laid down on the bed and told him he would just have 
to stand it, he was into it. He was a stranger there, 
but they found out who he was and came and took 
him out, but kept me there, said I was too drunk to 
stand my trial. I finally got a trial, or was brought 
out for a trial, and I saw there was a job fixed up 
on me. I just plead guilty and filed bonds and went 
home to a sad wife and helpless children that did 
not have the necessaries of life. I finally got it paid 
out. 

Another time I was at town, got drunk, started 
home, broke my jug, went back after more whisky. 
The mud was very deep in the street, my horse got 
her foot hung, fell on her head and I fell off. She 
turned over on me and buried me in the mud. 
Finally somehow she got off of me and I got my 
whisky, started out, had a fuss with a negro, and 
when I got home went to climb over a high fence, 
as the gate was fastened, fell off the top into a coal 
pile and broke my cheek-bone. It knocked me sense- 
less. I lay there until wife opened the door. She 
had heard me coming and when I did not come in 



124 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

she came out to look for me. My eye was swollen 
shut, the blood was running out of my eye and nose. 
I thought the negro had hit me and did not know any 
better until they found where I fell. 

Soon after this, on the 7th of February, there was 
another son born to us, who is yet living, which made 
the fourth child born into our family. His name is 
George. We moved to Hardin County on Sie Lam- 
bert's farm near Saline Tip on Saline river. The 
babe took sick and was sick about six months. He 
got so low nothing but wine laid on his stomach for 
three weeks to my knowledge. The neighbors got 
tired of coming. Wife and I would take it time 
about sitting up when I was not too drunk; then she 
had to sit up herself. I went over to the store a mile 
across the bottom one evening and caught a horse 
out of the pasture that a party had brought there 
for me to pasture. I did not know anything about 
the horse when I started, but I found out before 
I got back. I staid at the store until dark, then 
started home through a dark bottom. The horse 
kept falling over brush and logs. I got down to hunt 
the road and the horse and I both fell off of a high 
bank into a dry creek. When I found a place to get 
out I started the way I thought home was, but I could 
not find any road. I would call, no one would answer. 
I concluded I had better lie down until daylight, so 
I hitched the horse up, made a pillow out of my saddle 
and spread my blanket over me to keep the dew off 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 125 

of me. When I woke up it was daylight and I was 
lying right on the edge of a high bank and the blind 
horse was hitched as close to it as I was lying; just 
a step would likely have killed us both. I went home, 
found a poor woman that had sat up by the bed- 
side of her child all night looking for it to die and 
listening for some one to come with the message that 
I was dead. So you can see the joy of a drunkard's 
wife. Look, girls, before you step, and think be- 
fore you say yes. To the astonishment of many my 
child got well. He was as poor as human could be 
to live and he got well without medicine. 

I soon leased a farm from T. H. Patton for five 
years. We had spoiled this child, as, when one of us 
would go to correct him the other would interfere. 
One day he was very cross and my wife was having 
trouble with him. I was about to get out of patience, 
when I noticed his throat was swollen bad. When I 
examined it I found he had diphtheria. I went after 
the doctor, that was all I knew. When he came he 
told a lady who was there that there was no chance 
of him whatever. He would vomit the medicine all 
up, and we gave up for him to die because the doctor 
said so, but he got well without medicine. Now 
during all this time I was drinking and could fill this 
volume with sketches of drunkenness, but think I 
have said enough on this line at present. 

About this time a boat came up the Saline river 
loaded with women and whisky. I told my wife in 



126 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

a private conversation that she need not fear, I would 
never go to that boat, and I kept my word for a long 
time. The woods caught fire one night and there 
were several of us fighting the fire. My friend John 
Lambert was one of them. He proposed we go to the 
boat and get whisky. I would not go, but we sent 
for it and drank all night. Next morning we were 
out of whisky. We went to his house. He lived four 
miles from Shawneetown. I went over there and got 
a jug of whisky. We drank it up that night. Next 
he and I went to town. My cousin Tom Garlin was 
there loading stock on the train. We all staid in 
town till late, then came to John's and I drank all 
night. Next morning I thought the house was turned 
around. I saw I was losing my mind and I wanted 
to get to my wife, for I would rather risk her taking 
care of me when I was wild than any one else. I 
told Tom I wanted him to get me home, so he took 
me home in a road-cart and led my horse behind the 
cart. When I got home they got me in bed and I 
fell asleep. There were some boys there and they 
drank up my whisky. When I awoke I wanted 
whisky, but had none. I suffered the agonies of 
death all night. Next morning I went to the table 
and drank a glass of sweet milk. I jumped up, ran 
to the door to vomit it up and dug it out of my mouth, 
clabber. 

- No doubt this will sound strange to some who do 
not know what a burnt out stomach is. I went out 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 127 

into the field* to let S. L. Jackson have a load of corn. 
When I got back to the house I was just about dead. 
I told my wife I had to have whisky or die, and if 
she would just give up for me to go to the boat and 
get a quart I would come right back. She said, 
' ' If you won 't drink at the boat I am willing for you 
to go." I said, "I will have to drink just as soon 
as I get there, but I will just take one drink." She 
gave up for me to go. I started for the boat. As I 
went out of the back gate I never felt so bad in body 
and mind. I was impressed if I went I never would 
get back alive, so I went back to my room and to bed. 
Wife did not know I was there till she heard me 
groaning. She came in and asked me why I did not 
go. I told her it was death anyhow and I had just 
as well die without whisky as with it. There is no 
use for me to try to tell it as bad as it was. 

The next three days was hell on earth. I thought 
I had undergone all torture that whisky could bring 
on a man, but from that time a new experience com- 
menced and lasted for three days and nights. I told 
my wife to get me some quinine, which she sent and 
got. It always relieved me before, but it failed this 
time. I would eat it, but it had no more effect on me 
than flour. I would flounce and jump and scare; 
would jump off the bed and bring the bed with 
me. Oh, tongue can not tell, pen can not write the 
tortures I endured ! Sleep had left me and all things 
calculated to make a man miserable and unhappy 



128 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

would run through my mind. I could scarcely 
breathe. I could not eat and could hardly talk. 1 
did not want to see any one but my wife. She 
could not do anything to relieve me. I made another 
decision as I had made many a time before, that if I 
could live through that spell I never would drink 
another drop. This was just before Christmas, in the 
year 1894, and I kept sober through Christmas week. 
New Years day John Lambert and I went to Shaw- 
neetown, 111. and met my cousin Tom Garlin there 
again. He had taken a load of stock on the boat and 
was loading them on the train. He and Lambert kept 
drinking all day. I would not drink with them. 
When we got ready to start home Tom came with us, 
but he did not have a horse there. I was riding a 
big stout horse, so Tom rode behind me. They had 
a jug of whisky. They kept drinking and would try 
to get me to drink. I did not until we got to Saline 
river. As we were crossing at the ford at the Locks 
we let our horses stop to drink. They drank again 
and insisted on me drinking. I was very cold and 
in very bad health and was just shivering with cold. 
They kept persuading me to drink and told me it 
would warm me up, so at last I yielded to the temp- 
ter and took a drink. It had the desired effect to 
warm me and also to make me want another dram. 
We went about a mile. Tom got down to walk a piece. 
He crossed Beaver Creek on a drift, but John and I 
rode around aways to another ford. He proposed we 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 129 

would just take another drink, so we did. After a 
while we came to what is called the Lambert school- 
house, then they insisted on me going to Mount Zion 
to church. Mrs. Quia Rose was preaching there, but 
I had not drunk enough to make me want to go. 
I tried to get them to go home with me, but they 
would not. We took another drink, and, thank God, 
it was my last one. They went to meeting and I went 
home. 

As I went on I never felt meaner in my life to 
think how near I came dying from the last previous 
drink and I had vowed to wife in the presence of my 
children I never would drink another dram. Now I 
had lied again. My hopes of proving to my children 
that I was a truthful man or convincing my wife that 
I had any honor or ever married her for anything else 
but to make her life a miserable one was blasted and 
I was a miserable wreck. I rode along all alone think- 
ing how my sweet little boy would come and climb 
on my lap and smell my breath and know that I had 
again lied to them. I soon was passing A. J. Dutton 's. 
He was a Baptist preacher, and my nearest neighbor. 
He called me and came out and wanted to know why 
I did not go to meeting. I told him I did not want 
to go. We had quite a talk, but there was no reason 
in me. I had no confidence in him as a Christian. 
I went on home without any good impression being 
made on me. 

Now the trial came. The darkey, Lee Able, who 



130 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

worked for rue came and took my horse and put it up 
and the children ran to meet me. I was not drunk, 
but had drunk three drinks and did not want them 
to smell my breath. Wife was next to take a seat 
near me. I could see she did not smell anything but 
that cursed whisky, which had made her life a per- 
fect misery for many years. I had lost all hope. I 
tried to look on the bright side, but there was none. 
I did not know God. I was just depending on self, 
and I saw self, and as will power was exhausted my 
life was just about ended. The appetite for whisky 
was kindling like a fire in a stove when there was 
plenty of kindling. I would look around my fire- 
side and see my darling boys all had good sense. 
There never was an idiot born into my family, as I 
had always dreaded there would be, or a deformed 
child as I had looked for. There I could see a good 
woman sitting, who had not only gone down into the 
jaws of death to bring those children into the world, 
but had cared for them when I was drunk and a 
brute. I had promised to forsake all for her, and I 
had done as much for other women as I had for her, 
and had left her to go with other women. I felt mean 
and I knew the next drink meant death. I did not 
know or see any way out; so my life was a misery 
to me. 

In a day or two I took the darkey and went down 
to my niece's to get her some wood. She lived near 
the house where meeting was going on. M. D. Price 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 131 

lived near there also. I found John Lambert and 
family at Price's. His wife and Mrs. Price said they 
were sanctified. That did not make me think any 
more of them, though I dearly loved them. Mrs. Price 
was a sister to John Lambert and were both cousins 
to my wife. Their father, as I have stated before, 
raised my wife from the age of four years. John 
was feeling very bad over his drunk the night 
before. They all went to meeting but John. I went 
to my niece's about three hundred yards away. The 
darkey got wood and I spent the day with my niece. 
We stopped at Mr. Price's as we. went home. They 
had all returned from church. They asked me if 
John had been with me. I told them I had not seen 
him since morning. They looked and saw a mule was 
missing from the barn. I said he was gone to that 
whisky boat. He soon came and it was one of the 
worst sights to me I ever saw. They came packing 
him in the house, a man under one arm and his lov- 
ing, true and devoted wife under the other. She was 
smiling, Mrs. Price was crying. I had seen John 
drunk many times, but it never looked so bad to me 
as that time. I went on home. His wife had a man 
that worked for them hitch up the team. She had him 
put into the wagon and loaded her children in and 
started for her home. They got to his brother's, J. E. 
Lambert's, and staid all night. Next morning his 
whisky was gone and he was sober and they went 
back to church. Next day Mr. Price and I went to 



132 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Cave in Bock, 111. As we rode along Price said to 
me, "Well, I promised John Lambert I would go to 
the altar with him to-day." I made a few remarks 
about it and when we got back to Price 's they told us 
that John was a mourner and was deeply interested. 
I didn't know what to think about that, but I. said 
that if John Lambert gets salvation I will believe 
in it. 

I concluded in a day or two I would go to meeting 
and see what they had done to get John Lambert in- 
terested, so on the 5th of January, 1895 I went. When 
I got about half way I met Tal Merrit. She said, 
"Oh, yes, you are going after religion are you? John 
Lambert and Tink Cochran have religion and they 
are just having a wonderful time. ' ' I had told M. D. 
Price if John Lambert told me he had salvation I 
would believe in it ; so when I got to the church Price 
and a lot of men were out in the yard. Price says 
to me, ' ' And what do you say now, Brown ? John has 
got religion." I said, "I still say what I did say." 
"Well," he said, "did you not say that you would 
get religion if John did ! " " No : I said I would be- 
lieve in it if John told me he had it." So John met 
me and told me he had it, and I could see a change 
in him. 

The meeting commenced, the people began to tes- 
tify, and old Mother Cochran began to shout. It put 
me in mind of my boyhood days when I used to see 
her and her mother and two daughters shout. Now 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 133 

all of them gone but her, and she still shouting over 
her youngest daughter's son, who had professed in 
that meeting. His name is Frank Walton, but was 
known then as Tink Cochran, as his grandma Cochran 
had raised him. I saw Mrs. Lambert and Mrs. Price 
take hold of her and start toward me, and I knew 
there was trouble, for I loved her as a mother. She 
saw me and came and preached and prayed and tried 
to persuade me to give my heart to God. I would 
laugh at her. She left me and asked me how I 
could treat her so. Next Mrs. M. E. Lambert came. 
I loved her as a sister in the flesh. The boys com- 
menced to laugh, and if she had not have left when 
she did I would have gone with her to the altar for 
the respect I had for her and because the boys were 
all laughing at her. 

Finally in stepped a preacher named Willis Bunch. 
I had heard of him, and he was one of the most pecu- 
liar men I had ever seen. There was none in the 
house had a countenance like him. He hollowed 
amen and a flash ran all over me, but it never 
touched my heart. He testified to being converted 
and sanctified and healed of twenty-three years' 
affliction, and he said God had taken him from the 
plough-handles and sent him to preach and he had 
seen all manner of afflictions healed. I looked at his 
fair countenance and thought, "Could a man have 
such a good countenance and lie that way?" I had 
heard of him for several days and cursed him and 



134 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

said he ought to be run out of the country. He 
asked how many Christians were there. I think three- 
fourths of the congregation held up their hands. 
"Well," he said, "how many believe that God will 
heal in answer to prayer?" There were about sixty 
held up their hands. There were three hundred held 
up their hands as Christians, but could not believe 
that God would answer prayer. He said he was glad 
that there were that many that believed. He said, 
"I have been away from my wife and children for 
eleven weeks and did pack my valise last night to 
go home, but God showed me to come here and I am 
somewhat afflicted and I want all that can and be- 
lieve to lay hands on me and pray for me that 
God may heal me and show me what he wants me to 
do here. I understand this meeting closes to-day and 
you may think strange of God sending me here to 
hold another meeting." So he knelt and there were 
just two women out of the sixty that held up their 
hands. One was Gula Rose, of Ridgeway, 111. The 
other was Sally Grounds, who lived at that place. 
I was watching all of their actions. They prayed 
and the preacher rose rejoicing and said he was 
healed. Sister Rose preached and told the people she 
had to take her child home for it was sick, but the 
brother would go ahead with the meeting. 

They dismissed and I was going out of the door 
when I heard the preacher say, "Did God call you 
to preach?" She said yes. "Don't you think he 



DARK CAREER CONTINUED. 135 

will heal your child? do you think he would make 
you take your child home and precious souls perishing 
for the gospel ? Don't you want us to pray for God to 
heal it now?" She and Sister Grounds knelt with 
him. He began to pray. I turned back to see what 
would be done. I looked around at two Baptist 
preachers that were standing up laughing at them. 
One of them had been preaching in that country for 
twenty years and one for thirty. He asked God to heal 
the child, to prove to the people, to skeptics and un- 
believers that he would answer prayer and that his 
Word was truth. He said amen. I could see a change 
in the child. The preachers that were making fun 
turned to me and said, ' ' That is your sanctification. ' ' 
I said, "That was God answered prayer." So there 
was the difference between the preachers and the 
infidel. 

I started home. Will Garlin, a cousin of mine, 
called me and said he would go home with me 
if I would come back to meeting that night. 
I told him I would. So we started and I be- 
gan to talk about the meeting and make fun of 
the testimonies, but I said, "God sure answered 
that preacher's prayer and healed that child." 
But I said I had committed a sin keeping my 
old mule tied up there all day listening at them 
act the fool. So the thought of the prayer came again 
and I said, "But God sure answered that preacher's 
prayer." When I got home I told my family what 



136 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I had seen. So we went back to meeting that night 
and the preacher preached and proved to me that 
God was the same and that people were living beneath 
their privileges and I was a sinner in the sight of 
God; that salvation was a business transaction with 
me and God, and it was salvation or hell, and that 
I could stumble over hypocrites and go to hell, but 
could not climb over them and get out. So I went 
home and studied over my condition all night, and 
as my mind ran back over my past life I began to 
see how God had spared my life in many dangers, 
both seen and unseen, and I realized my life was 
just about at an end. I had been told by three doc- 
tors that I would die with consumption and that 
there was no cure for me. I had one specialist to ex- 
amine my head. He said I had catarrh in the worst 
stage. I had Dr. Clark, of Marion, Ky., to treat me 
for heart trouble. He said it was pleurisy pain and 
I would have to keep steamed up on whisky and 
quinine and wear it out. I had tried that for seven 
years, but got worse. So I saw my disease was be- 
yond the skill of man and I smoked and chewed 
tobacco all night and did not and could not sleep all 
that night. I never thought of prayer but was just 
counting up the cost of being a Christian. I knew 
if I was to die my creditors would take my property 
and leave my wife and children out in a cold and 
friendless world. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 

Uneasiness. — Largest Deal in Life. — Decision to Quit Sin. — 
Troubled on Account of Sin. — Wonderfully Convicted. — 
Illuminated with Pardon. — Peace with God and Man. — 
Sanctification. — Wonderfully Changed.— Call to Preach. — 
Tests Come.— Brother C. — Tobacco. — The Preacher. — A 
Wonderful Meeting.— Healed of Different Diseases. — 
Taught Humility.— Tested on Sanctification.— Tal Merritt. 
—Pneumonia Fever.— Child Healed.— Must Obey Call to 
Preach. — Disposal of Property. 

A long night passed without any sleep. Morning 
came and this was the 6th of January, 1895. I was 
worked up in mind as I never was before. I had done 
a great deal of business and made large contracts, but 
I was now on the largest deal ever in life. I ordered 
a horse caught. I thought I was bound to have $75.00 
to run my work. This is the way the devil always 
would work me— make me think I needed money. I 
would go borrow it and the devil would get me on 
a spree and I would spend the money and would be 
in a worse shape financially than I was before. My 
mule was saddled. I went to get on, put my foot in 
the stirrup and as I decided to mount in the saddle 
I decided to quit sin. In the name of Jesus Christ 
I looked up to the God whose power I had denied and 
I recognized him as a merciful God, and the Jesus I 
137 



138 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

had refused to serve I called on for conviction. I had 
seated myself in the saddle when I decided and said, 
' ' I will pray six months if I live that long or get sal- 
vation if there is any for me." By the time I could 
think I said, "I will pray as long as I live, let it be 
six months or six years; I will get salvation if there 
is any for me." I was afraid I had sinned against 
the Holy Ghost. I could not cry nor weep. I was 
convinced I was a sinner bound for hell; I was con- 
vinced there was a God that would answer prayer, but 
to just get down to weep like I wanted to, I could not. 
My heart seemed so hard and my mind would run off 
on other business ; but as I would ride along the road 
I would say, "0 God, have mercy! take everything 
from my mind and send conviction to my heart that 
I may weep for the way I have treated you." 

I reached the place where I was going to borrow 
the money. Mr. Hill was out on the farm. He and 
I had been great friends and were yet. We used to 
sell whisky together without license. He had since 
that time made a profession and joined at the meet- 
ing-house. As I met him he asked me about the 
meeting. I told him what I saw of the child being 
healed. ' ' Oh, ' ' he said, ' ' there was nothing in that. ' ' 
He said that old Bunch was the biggest hypocrite on 
earth. He had held a meeting there and stopped at 
his house. I said, ' ' Henry, if that fellow has not got 
salvation I never saw any one that had." He said, 
1 ' He has not got it. " " Well, ' ' he said, ' ' they tell me 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 139 

John Lambert is converted. ' ' I said, "Yes, and I 
believe there is a change in John." He said he was 
glad to hear it, that John had a good wife. I said, 
"If John will just let whisky alone he will get 
along all right. ' ' He said he could take a dram or so, 
or a little, "but the way you and he have done, getting 
on these protracted drunks, that is what is wrong." 
He said, "I go into a saloon and take a drink or get 
a jug and bring it home with me and drink it. " I said, 
"Henry, Christ and whisky will not stay together, 
and if John Lambert ever takes a drink he is gone." 

Well, he did not agree with me. He had just about 
knocked me out. I told my business. He said he did 
not have the money by him, but thought he could let 
me have it in ten days. So I went on my way home, 
almost sorry I had come; for now I thought if that 
preacher was a hypocrite there was no relief for me. 
I thought what he said about Lambert, that he could 
drink and keep his salvation, and I knew he was 
mistaken about that. So I said, "He is as apt to be 
mistaken about the preacher. ' ' I said, ' ' Lord, I know 
you answered that preacher's prayer, and if I will 
get right you will answer mine, and if he is a hypo- 
crite there is reality in religion. God, take this 
from my mind and send conviction to my heart!" I 
just kept begging God for conviction. I felt if I 
could get where I could weep I could get saved. 

When I reached my home the men were cutting 
wood out in the wood yard. Lee, the darkey, took 



140 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

my mule and put it in the stable. It was about 3 
o'clock P. M. My wife prepared my dinner. While 
she was doing this I pulled my pistol out of my pocket 
and hid it away and said I would not take it up 
any more. I had carried it eight years, only when 
I would drink until I was crazy and try to take my 
life, then wife would take it away from me until I 
would get my right mind, then she would give it back 
to me again, for she was afraid for me to go without 
it, as I was always getting into trouble and likely 
would have been whipped many a time had I not had 
it. When the dinner was prepared I sat down to the 
table, and wife sat with me. I would look at her and 
think how I had treated her. I loved her, but had 
not showed it by my past life. I thought, Here I am 
just ready to die and have lived with my wife all these 
many years. She has been a slave to me and I have 
never been a husband to her. My life is just at a 
close and has been a failure. I could not eat. I was 
going to meeting, but I did not want her to know it. 
I had a widowed niece that lived near the meeting- 
house. I told my wife if she would fill up a couple of 
jugs of milk I would take it to Mollie. I was at the 
fire still asking God to convict me. Wife got the 
milk ready. There was no one in the house but she 
and I. She came and sat down beside me and the 
thought came to me, If I do not tell her I never will 
get salvation, for she has seen more trouble about me 
than any one. So I looked at her and said, "Can 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 141 

you pray?" She looked me in the face and said, 
''Willis, I have prayed many a time that God would 
send you home alive. ? ? The tears were running down 
her cheeks. I said, "I want you to pray that I may 
get what I am going after. I am going after re- 
ligion. ' ' She said, ' ' I know it. ' ' 

I went on to Mr. M. D. Price's. He was a sinner, 
a drunkard and a gambler, but had a few days before 
talked to me about me getting religion, although he 
was a drunkard at the time. It now had a weight on 
me, for he said he had religion one time and there 
was reality in it. His wife was a good Christian. I 
had confidence in her. They were at that time both 
good friends of mine. I asked Mrs. Price to pray for 
me and told her my decision. I went on to my niece's 
and told her my decision and asked her to pray for 
me. She was a good woman, but I never did think 
before that she had any religion. I went to meeting 
that night and paid close attention to the sermon and 
received a great deal of encouragement. I went home, 
all were asleep. I knelt before the fire, the first time 
in my life since I had been the head of a family. I 
got on my knees in my house to ask mercy of God, 
when I was at myself and sober. When I was drunk 
I would pray and be very religious. I went to bed 
after I prayed and kept praying. 

The next morning I went to meeting and the local 
preacher came and shut the church-door and stopped 
the meeting. I still looked to the Lord. After he 



142 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

had made a very insulting talk, he said, "I am not 
mad." He looked at me and asked me if I saw any- 
thing wrong with him. I said, "There is something 
wrong with you. ' ' This was my neighbor and he had 
tried to get me to go to church the 1st of January. 
He stood between me and God the 5th of January 
when the preacher prayed for the healing of the child, 
and now was trying to run the only man off that God 
had ever used to wake up my soul. This was the 7th 
of January. They got it settled and the meeting went 
on. But the preacher told the other preacher that 
he would kneel at the altar and pray God to strike 
the one down that was wrong, and he would not 
agree to that, but they had prayed and my neighbor 
preacher jumped up and said, "Now look at me: if 
you think I am mad I will sit down." Morgan Ox- 
ford said, ' ' I think you are mad, sit down. ' ' Several 
seconded the motion and he sat down. 

I went home after night meeting and went down 
on my knees as before and asked God if there was any 
salvation for me to show me what to do. I said all 
I needed to say, I was not yet convicted. I went to 
bed and prayed until I went to sleep, but did not 
stay asleep. I went to church the next day, staid after 
night meeting and the preacher preached on dreams 
and visions and proved by the Bible God would give 
a vision or dream to any man to-day the same as he 
ever did, if they would come in earnest. When I 
got home I went on my knees and asked God if there 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 143 

was any salvation for me, and if I had not sinned 
against the Holy Ghost to give me a dream or a 
vision. "Now, Lord, I have just about lost my faith, 
and if you do not show me some way I will quit and 
will never lisp another prayer." I went to bed and 
went to sleep and dreamed my sister, Mrs. Ann Jack- 
son, came to me and asked me about my father and 
brother that were dead. I said, Don 't you know me ? 
George Brown was my brother, Anderson Brown was 
my father, I am Willis Brown, I am your brother — 
don't you know me?" I thought she was about as 
high as the ceiling above me, and it seemed she just 
walked back and forth and laughed at me. I 
thought in my dream sister was in heaven, father and 
brother had missed heaven and I was not fit to go to 
heaven, and I woke up crying. Although a dream 
it had the desired effect and I realized it was God's 
way to work upon my soul. I was wonderfully con- 
victed, as never since I was thirteen years old. God 
showed me just what I had to do to get salvation. I 
had murder in my heart. I had been seeking the ad- 
vantage of the law to kill two men. I was willing to 
quit and treat them right, but I did not want to go 
and tell them so. I was an Irishman, and it takes 
God's power to make an Irishman love an enemy. I 
kept trying for two days and nights to pray around 
it, but on the night of January 10, 1895, between 
midnight and day, when all were asleep but me, after 
I had fallen upon my knees for the third time since I 



144 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

came from church, I saw it was salvation or hell and 
I had to go to those men and ask their forgiveness 
or God would not forgive me. It seemed like the 
Spirit was taking its flight as it did eight years be- 
fore when I sat by the bedside of my dying child and 
rebelled against God. It seemed as though the founda- 
tion was giving away beneath me and hell was en- 
larging or opening up to receive me. It seemed as 
though it was salvation, and right then, or hell. I 
cried out from the bottom of my heart, "I will do 
anything, Lord." 

There was then a great load lifted off of my soul. 
There was a light shone in my soul that drove away 
a gross darkness and love leaped in my breast that 
was never there before. For the first time in 
life I could realize I loved everybody and God! Oh, 
glory! tongue can not tell it, pen can not write it, 
mind can not conceive it, my soul could scarcely hold 
it. Praise God! it still remains, and as I write this 
the flow of God's love rolls over my whole being and 
through my soul and I can down deep in my soul 
shout, Amen! Glory, glory! God and I only know. 
Praise God ! I wanted to shout aloud, but I wanted to 
see if I could live it. I would clinch my teeth, I 
was afraid to shout for fear I could not live it. 

I would not have cared to wake my family, but I 
would think of the hired hands in the other room, 
and if I could not live it they would tell it. So after 
while the great joy left and the devil said, "Now if it 



PROM SIN TO GRACE. 145 

was salvation, the joy would not leave so quick; it 
would stay all the time." I would think I loved 
everybody. I was not like I was, but I did not want to 
be deceived, and I said, "0 Lord, show me if this is 
salvation. ' ' I would rather have had my head cut off 
than to be a hypocrite, and would yet. God forbid I 
ever fail to live my salvation. I went to bed and I was 
more impressed that it was not salvation. I com- 
menced to pray. I was lying partly on my side. I 
could not lie on my back or flat on my side without 
having some kind of spells, something like fits. It 
began as nightmare, but got to be more than that. 
Wife perhaps knows better than I do, for I have rid- 
den on my horse many a night holding to my saddle- 
horn asleep, trying to get to my wife, afraid to lie 
down until I could get to where she could take care 
of me. While I was lying in that position praying 
for God to show me if I had salvation, it seemed as if 
a tingling went all over me. I thought it was death, 
for I had been told by the doctor that I was liable 
to die any time. I said, "Lord, not my will, yours 
be done." As I thought this I rolled on my back. 
I did not know anything for a time. When I came to 
myself I wanted to shout, but I was afraid I could not 
live it. 

After a while the joy passed and an impression 
came, If that had been salvation, you would have 
shouted, you could not have kept fr^tn it. Now I 
would look back at my past life ; I could see I did not 



146 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

feel like I used to. I loved everybody, but I still had 
a fear. I went to praying for God to show me some 
way by morning if it was salvation. I went to sleep, 
woke up next morning, just jumped out of bed telling 
that God had saved me. The workmen and all heard 
me. Breakfast was soon ready. As I went to the 
table the thought came to me that I had always said 
that Christians ought to return thanks when they ate. 
I was afraid I would make a mistake, so I let the 
devil get the upper hand o£ me and I did not return 
thanks. I felt that I had done wrong. While eating 
I said to the darkey that was eating at a table by 
himself, "When you get done eating, get up a span 
of mules and hitch them to the wagon. ' ' I was going 
to take my family to meeting. 

After breakfast I went into the front room and 
looked out of the window and saw John Davis, and 
it seemed that I was drawn to him. I commenced to 
preach to him. He said, "When did that happen 1" 
I said, "Last night." He shed tears. The team was 
soon ready, family and I started. I felt the fear 
again come on me. I thought, I will go tell it and I 
can not live it. I began to pray for God to give me 
power to live it. I felt at peace with God and all men, 
but I was afraid I could not stay that way. I did 
not know what God's word taught, but I did know 
there was a hungering and thirsting in my soul for 
something I did not have. 

I went on till we came to Jim Lambert's. He and 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 147 

Sam Lambert and John Russian were out at the fence 
I jumped out of the wagon and began to preach. 
They looked at me very straight and I kept up my 
discourse till I had three mourners. Dr. T. J. Mc- 
Ginnis lived up stairs. He had made a profession. I 
was anxious to see him. I ran up stairs. He looked 
very sad. I said, "Doctor, I got salvation." He be- 
gan to walk backwards and said, "Willis, I have not 
got it." I said, "Get down and get it." 

I went on to meeting after I left there. The fear 
came again and I prayed. When I got to church the 
preacher was preaching. I never tied my mules or 
unhitched a chain. I just left them standing. As 
I went in the house everybody seemed to look at me, 
and the devil said, "Now you have fixed it; every- 
body knows you have made a profession, and you 
can not live it." I never had such feelings in my 
life. But I had rather died than go back to doing 
what I had. I sat down and just kept praying. 
I did not hear much of the sermon. When the 
preacher presented the altar he said, "All want- 
ing anything from the Lord come to the altar." 
There was a lady went up to be prayed for for 
healing. I do not know who else. The preacher 
said, "All that believe in healing come to the altar 
and pray with us for this sister." I did not 
aim to go, but I did go. I do not realize how I got 
there, I must have walked, but I was so lost in God 
that I had no recollection of going to the altar. 



148 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

When I came to myself I was standing at the altar, 
everybody looking at me. I saw I had given it 
away. There were just a very few there that 
knew I had been seeking salvation. I had never gone 
to the altar before. As I went down on my knees I 
said, ' ' God, I need prayer worse than that woman. 
My God, give me power to live what I have pro- 
fessed. " As I prayed God lowered his arm and let 
his Spirit of inspiration teach me what to do. 

My business all came up before me. I had a good 
deal of property around me, but I owed for it all. 
I had spent many a sleepless night studying about 
my family, that when I died my creditors would take 
the property and they would be turned out and have 
to go to the poorhouse if not cared for by others. 
This came before me. I said, "God, settle my busi- 
ness in your way." The Spirit led me to a com- 
plete consecration. I just said, "Anything, Lord, 
I would rather die than not to live my prof ession. ' ' 
As I completed my consecration I had completely 
sold out to God. As I rose up it seemed to me there 
was something just raised out of my heart. I just 
felt as light as a feather. As I looked down at Mrs. 
Sarah Price, whom I had asked to pray for me a 
few days before, she said, "How are you getting 
along, Willis?" I went to speak and I just shouted. 
It seemed to me I had never witnessed anything 
like it. The filling came; the heavens seemingly 
opened and the kingdom of God came into my soul. 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 149 

I shouted and Sister Price ran to my wife, then back 
to me. She did this three times. She did not know 
whether I was drunk or not. She commenced shout- 
ing. 

The sexton came up to me. I said, "Mr. Austin, 
I have fooled you people, but I have not fooled 
God." He said, "You have not fooled me." I never 
saw as pretty a congregation. I know God wonder- 
fully sanctified my soul. The fear took its flight. 
God filled my soul with his perfect love. I never 
have been afraid I could not live my salvation since. 
Glory to God! this has been a new world, my home 
has been a new home ; I have been a husband to my 
wife, a father to my children, a man of my country 
and the servant of my God ever since. 

In two hours God gave me a clear call to preach. 
I was at M. D. Price's. He said, "Brown, you are 
going to preach." I said all right, I would preach 
or do anything God wanted me to do. I did not 
know anything about sanctification. I did not know 
it was sanctification I had received. I had not read 
the Bible and had not heard any preaching for years 
till the last five days, and I had been so deeply en- 
gaged about my soul I had not paid any attention 
to anything only something that would help me to find 
God. 

While I was shouting at the church I kissed an old 
German, Casper Fink. My profession started, the 
people saw me. They looked at me when I went into 



150 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

the church because I had my family with me. That 
was something new for me to take my family to 
meeting. 

In a few days Mr. Austin came up to see me. 
Before I was saved he and his partner had hired to 
me to dig a well or sink a pump. They had agreed 
to dig for so much in the dirt and I was to give 
them more in rock. They thought I was drunk and 
they could play off on me. They put on the drill 
and I got on to the game, took a few more drinks and 
raised a row with them. I went to the house and 
got my pistol and came back and discharged them 
and would not pay them. Mr. Austin came after I 
got saved. He heard my experience, then said: "I 
thought I would come and see what you were willing 
to do about that well." I said, "What do you want 
to do about it?" He said he thought I ought 
to give him $5.00. I said, "Will that satisfy you?" 
He said yes. I said, "I will give it." He said, "Well, 
you have salvation." Of course it was just a 
two-inch hole in the ground, there was no water there, 
but I would rather give a man $5.00 than to have 
him think I wanted to beat him out of a dollar 
when I could get it. 

My test began to come on. The first of January, 
or a little before, I had turned my neighbor's 
stock out of my field where he had rented corn- 
ground. There were about one hundred acres of stalks 
there. I did not have enough stock to eat them. He 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 151 

did not have enough corn to feed them, but I was mad 
at him. After I got saved I sent him word to bring 
his stock back and put them in the field, and come 
up to the house, I wanted to see him. He did, and I 
told him what God had done for me. He seemed 
well pleased, and we had prayer— the first time he 
had ever heard a prayer in my house. I asked him 
to go with me to meeting the next day. He said he 
could not, he was floating timber out of the back- 
water and he had a large tree to top and float next 
day, for the water was falling. I did not insist 
any more on him going. He had, as I said, rented 
ground of me and we had measured the ground and 
agreed on the number of acres and price. He was 
to bin grain enough on the ground to pay the rent. 
This he had not done and had just left part of the 
rent. Now he was a professor, and my other enemy 
was a professor. Both were Sunday-school superin- 
tendents and praying brothers in the Baptist church, 
and I was anxious to go to meeting next morning. 
I was feeling good, for I had made friends with my 
worst enemies and God had wonderfully saved and 
sanctified me and I loved everybody. 

I was fixing to start to meeting and saw these two 
enemies that I had the trouble with, and who were 
in my way so in getting salvation. They were meas- 
uring the ground over. I knew what that meant. 
I tell you it was a test of faith to see those that I 
had wanted to kill, and had just made friends with 



152 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

them the day before, now taking the advantage of 
me, and the way that man had prayed the night 
before and said he could not go with me to meeting 
on account of the certain job, but he had time to go 
and remeasure the ground that we had agreed on and 
had it in writing. The object was to get the rent 
to fit the grain that was left to pay. So the devi. 
came in full force. The first impression was to take 
my pistol that I had laid down and go down and 
run them out of the field. I cried out, "0 Lord. 
help me!" I felt I could pray if I would go to 
the barn. I did not want my wife and children and 
hired hands to know I was having such a test. So 
I went to the barn and fell on my knees and 
cried to God, but the impression came to me to go 
to the house. I ran to the house, but had to look 
down in the field and could see them. I said, "0 
Lord, help ! ' ' I ran into the house, and there was an 
old Irishman in the house. He tended to making 
fires. He went out to get some wood. I thought 
I would fall on my knees and pray till I heard him 
coming in and I would jump up when I heard him 
come. But I commenced crying out to God and did 
not know when he came in, but I did know before I 
got up from there that I had victory, and I did not 
care if there was no rent paid at all. 

I went to church. As I came by a store near home 
that evening this man was there. I called him to 
come and go home. He said for me to wait at the 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 153 

next house, he would be on directly. I waited a 
good while, when I made a remark I could not wait 
for Brother C. any longer, and I was informed he 
had passed on long ago, and the darkey that worked 
for me came grinning and handed me a note and 
said, "Here is your receipt from Mr. C." I read it 
and it stated that he had measured the ground and 
there was just enough grain left to pay the rent. 
"Amen, all right.' ' The darkey's eyes sparkled, and 
he said, "Well, you have got her; you would not 
have took it that way a few days ago." I rejoiced 
to know I had such a victory over the devil that the 
darkey could detect it. 

In a few nights Bro. C. came by going to prayer- 
meeting. We had prayer and a good time. He 
talked of the revival. He said, "Well, Lee gave you 
that note, did he ? " I said yes. He said there was 
just enough grain to pay the rent at thirty-five cents 
a bushel, that I had made a mistake in the first 
measurement. "Well," I said, "are you willing 
to give what corn is there for the rent?" He said 
yes. I told him that grain was but thirty cents at 
the nearest market, which was nine miles, and that 
I knew the ground was just what we first made it, 
but I was willing to take it and release him, though 
I was loser just $18.00. He seemed well pleased. 
Wife and children and hired hands looked as though 
they thought I was crasy. 

Now my next test was my tobacco. I was a slave 



154 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

to tobacco, whisky, and medicine, and was a natural 
swearer before I was saved. I would smoke and 
chew at the same time. A sinner friend and I were 
going to church. My friend said, " Brown, what are 
you going to do with your pipe? that preacher said 
it was wrong." I said, "I do not propose to be 
cranky; I am going to read the Bible after the 
meeting is over, and if it says anything against tobac- 
co I will quit it." "Oh," he said, "you must quit it, 
Brown, the preacher says you must quit it." We 
arrived at church. I put my pipe in my side coat 
pocket and took a seat in front of the preacher. He 
preached on cleansing of the filthiness of the flesh. 
I began to twist, and as he turned his head and 
looked down my pipe-stem was sticking out of my 
pocket. I would try to push it down, but the pocket 
was not deep enough. I looked at the sinner, and he 
was laughing at me. I just had to twist and take 
my medicine. 

After meeting was over we started home and I 
lit my pipe. The sinner, Johnson Russian, com- 
menced on me. I said, "Now, Johns, I will read 
the Bible and see for myself." He said, "Oh, Brown 
must lay her down; you started to live a Christian; 
you must do right." I felt bad over it and tried 
to justify myself, for I did not see how I could lay 
down the habit I had for twenty-five years. It had 
been my comforter in all my troubles. But soon I 
brought the preacher to my home to hold a meeting in 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 155 

our community. I then lived in Hardin Co., HI., near 
Pots Hill. I had two objects in view, if not three, in 
bringing the preacher to my house. One was, he was 
sick with pneumonia fever and he claimed to take God 
as his healer and I wanted to see if he did. Second, 
I loved him, for he was the" means God had used 
to pick me out of the ditch. Third, I wanted the 
truth preached to my associates and do what I could 
to cause them to see just as I had. The brother was 
very bad, and others and myself started a prayer- 
meeting to get an interest by the time the preacher 
got able to hold the meeting; though it looked like he 
was more apt to die than to preach. I came home 
from meeting one night and he got up and wrapped 
a quilt around him and sat by the fire and talked to 
me till he would be forced to lie down on account of 
weakness. I would then go into a room where a 
darkey slept and stir up a fire and sit and smoke 
for a long time. This was continued from night to 
night. 

Finally one night I was smoking and it came to 
me I was playing off all right on the preacher, but 
how about God? If it was wrong to smoke in the 
presence of the preacher, it was wrong in the sight 
of God. I can not tell you just how I was condemned. 
I jerked my pipe out of my mouth and fell on my 
knees and asked God with all earnestness of heart 
to take away the appetite. I first laid down the thing 
and turned from the enemy of my soul and my health, 



156 FROM INFiDELlTY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and then asked God to help me to let it alone. A 
great many keep asking God to take away the habit, 
but just keep up the practise. But I saw as never 
before I had promised God I would leave all to 
follow Jesus, and I saw I had not got that filthy 
thing on the altar, but I was going off the altar to 
suck that old pipe and chew that tobacco; so I just 
got right back on the altar and asked God to keep 
that stuff off and promised I would never get off 
the altar to get it. I knew Christ was the altar and 
nothing unclean could touch the altar, and I was 
where if I staid on the altar I would be clear of filth- 
iness. 

Next morning after breakfast I looked up at the 
fireboard and saw an old pipe, and the thirst was 
as sharp as ever in my life. I wanted to smoke a 
great deal worse than I wanted to eat my breakfast. 
There was a chair between the dining-room door and 
the fireplace and I fell on my knees and cried out 
to God to hold me up on the altar. I had learned 
that nothing unclean could get on the altar, so I 
knew if I staid on the altar the pipe could not get to 
me, and God with one stroke of the Holy Spirit drove 
the poison away from my system and I have never 
had any desire to smoke or chew since. Praise God 
for all he has done for me! and that is more than 
tongue can tell, or pen can write; but glory to God, 
the soul can feel and rejoice in the same. 

The next test came one evening as I was fixing to 



PROM SIN TO GRACE. 157 

go to prayer-meeting. The preacher said, "Brother 
Brown, you tell the people that I said the Spirit said 
I could preach there Wednesday night. Will you tell 
them?" I said yes, but I looked at him and thought 
he did not know what he was talking about. I did 
not think that I would tell them because I did not 
believe he would be there. I feared it would bring 
a reproach upon the cause. As I went to church a 
great teacher began to talk to me— the Holy Ghost— 
and made me to see I had to tell what I had promised 
to tell or I would be a liar, and no liar could enter 
heaven ; so as it came near the time for the services to 
close, the worse I hated to tell it. I finally raised 
up and told what the preacher said, and the Baptist 
preacher came in front of me and said, "Do you 
think he will be here?' ' I said, "No, I don't.' ' He 
said, "Has he got pneumonia?" I said, "Yes, in 
both lungs." He asked me a great many questions 
and I just told him I would sooner believe he would 
go to the grave than to preach there on Wednesday 
night. This was Saturday night. I went home. 

The preacher got up as usual and came to the 
fire with a quilt around him and asked me if I told 
them what he said. I told him I did. He questioned 
me a great deal. He said, "Well, Brother Brown, 
you had a good meeting to-night. I had a vision 
this morning at 3 o'clock, and we are going to have 
the most powerful meeting here there ever was in this 
country. There are old men and women that will 



158 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

be saved, and many will come and get healed, but 
there are two men there that you have great con- 
fidence in, and they are taking a great part in the 
meeting, but when they hear the truth preached they 
will not accept it and will turn from God. ' ' Of course 
he told me who they were. I loved them and had 
great confidence in them, and this was too strong 
for me. I said, "Oh, now that is just a little more 
than any man knows." He said, "Now, Brother 
Brown, God has laid his hand on you for a work 
and he has showed me to tell you. Now you keep 
still and the Lord will show you I am right." So 
I agreed to wait on his prophecy. 

Wednesday night came. He went to church and 
preached to a crowd. Those men before mentioned 
were there and they took a great part, and did for 
a few nights ; but finally they took a back seat. After 
meeting was over one of them and another man went 
around telling all of us good-by, stating that they 
were going to another meeting, where they could do 
some good. One came to me whom I had such con- 
fidence in. I broke down and said to him, ' ' I wanted 
you to stay here, I am doing all I can to get my 
friends saved and they have great confidence in you." 
He said, "There are enough here without me, I will 
go where I can do some good. ' ' They went away say- 
ing they would not come back. The other man went 
home with the preacher and me. 

After we got home the preacher said to me, "Did 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 159 

you see those two men leave who said they would not 
come back ? ' ' He just knelt down and said, ' ' I want 
you to pray with me and ask God to bring them back 
to-morrow under conviction." I looked at the other 
man and thought, If it is not done he will tell it 
and that will break the meeting. By this time the 
preacher was down praying and the other man had 
knelt, so I knelt and began to pray. I felt victory 
till the preached said amen. Then I thought, If it 
isn't done! and how can it be done? I put through 
a restless night. 

Next morning by 9 o'clock we were at the school- 
house, known as the Lambert schoolhouse. The 
prayer service was over, at 11 o'clock the preacher 
had taken his text and the men had not come. I 
looked over at my opponent; his head was stuck up. 
I sat down on the rostrum. I desired to take the 
lowest seat. I was just about to lose faith as the 
door flew open and the two men rushed in at the 
door and called the preacher, stating they wanted to 
testify. I arose and shouted. It seemed the heavens 
opened and the great darkness had been dispelled 
by a light from God. Praise God for his love 
right then! for in a short time I would have been a 
sinner had God not sent them there. They said the 
Lord would not let them go to the other meeting. 
That gave me great faith in God and was one of 
the greatest lessons of my life and did me much good. 
That has given me faith to stand and see the salva- 



160 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

tion of the Lord many a time. That was a wonderful 
meeting; many were saved, sanctified and healed. 

Ten days after I was converted I came to the place 
where I could see God as never before. I had been 
told by three doctors that I would soon die with 
consumption. I had made a study of my life. I 
saw that ofttimes the people and doctors said I could 
not live and God had spared my life. I realized God 
had done a wonderful work in my soul. I saw I 
had completely sold out to God when I made my con- 
secration. I saw Christ was the altar and I was on 
the altar and my life was not my own. I realized 
God was my Father, and I knew I would do anything 
to relieve my own child, so I knew God would do as 
much for his child as I would for my own. I just 
put God to the test and he wonderfully healed me. 
I had a complicated case of different diseases, lung 
trouble, catarrh of the head, kidney trouble, rheuma- 
tism, piles, chronic diarrhea and heart trouble. No 
one knew what I suffered. When I was sober I never 
remember of being free from pain for several years. 
After I was prayed for I felt that I had stepped from 
under a wonderful load. You just think of a man 
being bound down by affliction and pain for fourteen 
years and just to be perfectly eased from pain, no 
bad feeling, just perfectly free of all bondage and 
pain! 

I was happy and would go to church day and night. 
After a few days the Lord put me to a test. The 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 161 

preacher and I were sleeping together. I awoke and 
had a fair case of pneumonia. I thought it was 
death, as the doctors had told me I could not live 
through another case of fever. I was breathing 
very hard. The brother spoke to me and asked me 
what was the matter. I told him and he put his hand 
on my breast and prayed for me and the pain left 
my lungs and I could breathe easy. I went to church 
that day and testified to my healing of fever. The 
next morning I had the same test and the result 
was the same and I testified. The next morning the 
test came again and the preacher was not there and 
the devil said, "Now what will you do when the 
preacher leaves?" The scripture came to me, "If 
ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask 
what ye will and it shall be done unto you." I put 
God to the test and was healed at once. 

I went to church in a boasting way and told how 
God had answered my prayer. I felt proud, but God 
knew the danger there was in me getting exalted. 
I went home that night and found some of my chil- 
dren sick. I prayed for them and they were healed 
at once. I had something to boast about then. I 
made a boasting talk next day. When I got home 
that night all my children were sick. I was checked 
a little, but took up courage and prayed for them 
and they were all healed. I boasted at church next 
day, and that night they were worse than ever. I 
saw myself as never before. I asked God to forgive 



162 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

me for not giving him the glory for healing my 
family instead of trying to claim the glory myself. 
I prayed for them and they were healed. I promised 
God I would give him the glory; so when I got to 
church I gave God the glory for the lesson he had 
taught me, and when I came home I found the family 
all well. Praise God! 

The reader may not understand why God put me 
to such tests. I did not know anything only as God 
taught me, and this was God's way to teach me 
humility. This seemed to stir the people and make 
them afraid of God, and there were a good many that 
were afraid of the preacher, for they thought God 
would do whatever he would ask him to do. It was 
the most wonderful time I ever saw. I went through 
some wonderful experiences. My lungs would stop 
up till I could hardly speak above a whisper. The 
devil would try to make me think I was not healed 
and that I had better take it back. I would get up 
to testify and my lungs would open up and I would 
claim my healing. Pretty soon the pains would dart 
through my lungs and the devil would say if I was 
right with God I would be healed. I would pray 
and think perhaps I was not right. Then I would ask 
God if I was right to take away the pain instantly 
and it would go at once. This happened a number of 
times in three months, when I got perfect faith and 
that brought perfect deliverance. 

It was the custom in the country where I lived 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 163 

not to break in a pen of corn to sell unless they 
would take one hundred bushels. When I got sal- 
vation I would sell any amount from one bushel up. 
I had many calls, as there were poor people who 
could not pay for more than five bushels at a 
time. After I had helped a man load some corn I 
went over by the store to settle with him. There I 
found a crowd of men and a church-member was in 
the crowd. He commenced on me about my sancti- 
fication, and as he had twenty years ' experience in 
the church and could quote what he called scripture, 
and I did not know anything about the Bible, they 
all laughed at me. I started on. I was intending 
to go to church, but I decided to go home and pray 
till God showed me if I was sanctified. 

A Dr. McGinnis, who now lives at Iuka, Ky., was 
walking along with me. I was studying. I did not 
want to claim anything I did not have. He said to 
me, ' * I would not let that bother me. I would not 
give your experience for his." I said, "I will know 
whether I am right or not." I went home. As I 
walked along praying I decided God could and would 
give me a vision the same as he did Paul. I just 
went to praying for God to give me a vision if I 
was sanctified, and if he did not I would decide I 
was not sanctified and would not testify to it any 
more. After I reached home I laid down on the bed 
and was lying there praying. My flesh began to 
tremble and my ears began to ring. The thought 



164 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

came, It is death. I said, " God's will be done." I 
seemingly died to this world. A vision came before 
me. I saw a great lot of people, and there was a 
young lady there named Tal Merrit ; she was justified ; 
and a young man named Weatherspoon with his hand 
on her shoulder seemingly encouraging her. I saw 
many other things. The vision passed away. I re- 
member being at the young man's father's many a 
time when I was a boy, and they never were too busy 
to have prayer night and morning. I thought by 
his faithful Christian life he had led his son to 
heaven. I was given a chapter to read and impressed 
to establish a family altar, which I did, and kept it 
up every night, and finally in the morning. I never 
doubted my sanctification any more. One day at 
dinner my little boy named Anderson said, "Papa, 
why don't you pray at dinner?" I said, "Amen, if 
God wants to teach me a lesson through you, all 
right." We have had prayer three times a day ever 
since when I am with my family, and they say they 
keep it up. 

I went to church that night and Miss Tal Merrit 
was there. I sat down across the isle from her. I 
was impressed to go and speak to her. I said, "I 
saw you this evening." She said, "Oh, where — at 
Jim's?" I said, "At my house." She began to cry 
and said, "Brother Brown, what is the matter with 
me ? I have felt impressed to go and get you to pray 
for me. I feel as if I had lost my salvation. ' ' I said, 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 165 

"Amen, let us pray right now." We knelt and 
prayed. She got victory all right. 

Now this was an orphan girl that had looked to me 
for protection before I was converted. I had treated 
her as a daughter and she had confidence in me as 
a Christian and a friend, as you will see later on when 
she was summoned to stand before the judgment-bar 
of God. I was with her at the hour of her death 
a few years later. But after this she married a wicked 
man and lived a rough life and fell away from God 
and lived a sinful life. God had mercy on her, as 
we will show later on, as we will give an account of 
her sickness, reclamation and death. 

Now the meeting soon closed and the preacher left. 
Then the Lord taught me another lesson, that I must 
trust in God, not in man. The day he left I took 
the pneumonia fever. The people would come in and 
try to get me to take medicine. My wife was not 
saved. My oldest son, Charley, was saved. He came 
to me after I was sanctified and said, "Papa, I want 
religion." I said, "Charley, you have religion, you 
never did any sin." I was honest in what I said. I 
never knew him to be mad since he was four years 
old, and he was now eleven. He turned away. In 
a few days he came running to me and said, ' ' papa, 
I have got religion now." I could see a change in 
his countenance. So he was the only help I had at 
home to hold on to God. 

I felt impressed to send for Dr. McGinnis, who was 



166 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

saved and in the faith, and Mrs. M. E. Lambert, who 
then lived across from Saline river. She was helping 
Sister Rose in a meeting at Saline Mines. The water 
was high in the river and the devil would hold that 
before me, and there was the Baptist preacher lived 
across from me, and I thought if I sent for the doctor 
to pray for me he would tell I took medicine, so I 
would not send for him. Well, I learned a lesson 
on remedies. I had drunk whisky till my stomach 
was all deranged and gas would form on my stomach. 
A remedy for years had been vinegar and soda. Well, 
I was troubled with this and my wife said, "Do you 
want me to fix you some soda and vinegar f " I never 
thought of it being a remedy. I said yes. Just as 
I swallowed it the thought came, "You have lied to 
God." You can not imagine how I felt. I began to 
swell. It did not make me belch as before. It seem- 
ed to aggravate the trouble. I began to repent and 
ask God to forgive and promised I never would take 
another remedy. 

I was praying in secret. Wife noticed me and said, 
1 ' Are you worse ? " I said, ' ' Yes ; it is no use to try 
to fool you any longer ; if God does not do something 
for me soon I will leave this world. ' ' She said, ' ' We 
had better send for the doctor." I said, "No, it is 
all with God ; if he don't want to heal me I am ready 
to go. If it was left to man I would be dead be- 
fore you could get him here." So I just held on to 
God and in thirty minutes I was relieved of that 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 167 

trouble. The opposers talked of coming and pouring 
medicine down me. I trusted God amidst all the 
darkness until all the people that knew me knew of 
my sickness. 

A neighbor came who had once been a close friend, 
and was at that time. He claimed to be saved at that 
time. Soon after he came the doctor came I had felt 
led to send for. I thought he had come to beg me to 
take medicine, as he was a near friend of mine. He 
staid there till near noon, when he started to leave. 
He had examined me and said I had pneumonia in 
both lungs. I asked him to stay for dinner. He said 
no. He looked at my friend and said: "What did 
you come here for, just to see how Willis was? 
I think God sent you here for a purpose, just as he 
has me. The Lord came to me three times this morn- 
ing and told me if I would come and pray for him 
he would heal him." I said, "Amen, I am ready." 
He prayed for me and I was healed at once and got 
up, but was weak. 

Next morning I took my wife and went over the 
Saline river where Sister Lambert was in the meeting. 
When we got to the river the road was dug down 
the bank just wide enough for a wagon, and there 
was a small boat tied right in the way. The mud 
was about shoe-mouth deep. Wife said, "We will 
have to go back, I can not go in that mud and you 
can not." I said I could in the name of Jesus. So 
I did move the boat. Wife was afraid I would fall. 



168 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I felt stronger when I came up the bank than when 
I went down. We reached the church, Sister Lam- 
bert saw me and began to rejoice, said she had been 
praying God to heal me and send me there. She 
prayed for me and I received my strength and went 
right on in that meeting day and night and grew 
stronger. Praise God for the way he taught me ! 

Well, it was now spring of the year 1895. I put 
out a crop, and while at this I had many tempta- 
tions and learned many grand lessons. I would con- 
duct a Sunday-school and preach or talk every Sat- 
urday night and Sunday and Sunday night, if there 
was no one else to preach. My wife was not yet 
saved. We had always rushed and fussed every 
spring. She expected the same, so she commenced 
the same way. I took things easy. She threw up 
my salvation to me. Though it hurt me, I never said 
anything in return. That night we went to have 
family prayer. I told my little boy to read, also 
told him to lead in prayer. With a trembling voice 
he prayed for his mother and for me; asked God to 
hold me up and not let me go back into sin. He could 
see there was something wrong. He closed his prayer 
and we arose. Wife looked at me and said, "What 
did you do that f or ? ' ' I said, "If lama hypocrite, 
I do not want to pray before you." She said, "You 
know I did not mean that." I fell on my knees and 
cried to God to bring my wife to salvation. 

The next morning I went to the fields with the 



FBOM SIN TO GRACE. 169 

hands, and about 10 o'clock I felt led to go to the 
house. When I got there I found my wife holding 
our baby boy. He was two and one-half years old 
and was choking. His throat was swollen. He had 
every appearance of death. I took him. He could 
not swallow water. I prayed for him in secret. He 
got worse. The impression came to pray aloud, this 
is what you asked for. I cried out to God and asked 
him if it was for my wife's salvation to move upon 
her soul and to spare the child's life and to heal him 
right then. I got the witness, arose, and gave the 
child a cup of water. He swallowed as well as ever. 
He was healed instantly. Wife looked serious, but 
soon forgot it. She wanted to get rich. 

I went along the best I could, keeping my eyes on 
Jesus the best I knew how, living a life that was 
proving to my wife I had something she did not have. 
I had a good deal of stock around me, and had a 
farm leased for three years yet. 

I felt my call to preach but also felt my weakness. 
I kept dreaming of preaching and felt I must go. 
I would talk to wife about giving my property up 
to my creditors and go to preaching as an evangelist. 
She said there was no use of that, if I farmed and 
drank whisky I could farm and preach. She did not 
understand my call. Finally I began to lose stock. 
I lost a lot of hogs. I finally found out that one of 
the men who had been at daggers point with me had 
run them across Saline river. I talked with him 



170 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

about it; he was very independent. I notified him 
to have my hogs home in three days or pay for them, 
or I would send the sheriff after him. I felt as soon 
as I had sent the note I had made a mistake. I be- 
gan to pray. He sent me a note accusing me of 
stealing and swearing lies and murder, and made 
great threats. I cried to God to help me. I began 
concealing myself for two days and nights with God 
and got the victory, and it came to me to law no man. 
"All things work together for good to them that 
love the Lord." I said, "Lord, I will give up the 
hogs." And God gave me an overflow of joy in my 
soul. Then I sent him word I forgave him and 
would do nothing about them. He threatened to kill 
me, but I just shouted right along. When I would 
meet him I would speak kindly. He would make a 
face at me and not speak, but God kept me. 

I then had a mare and some hogs to die. Every 
time I lost anything it seemed I must preach. I had 
a span of match roadster mares. A colored man that 
was working for me and Charley took them to water 
with the rest of the horses. One fell and mashed her 
hip. I drove to Shawneetown and my horse took 
sick. James Lambert was with me. I said, "This 
is for me." He said, "I believe it." We took the 
harness off of the horse. After he rolled a while 
just suffering death I decided to pray for him. He 
was relieved at once. I told God if he would heal 
the horse I would turn him and all my property and 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 171 

go preach. After the horse got easy and we were 
sitting there waiting for him to rest, the devil came 
to me in an impression that I could let a man take 
the farm and stock and farm on the shares and pay 
my debts and have something left for my family. 
I went back on the promise I had just made God. As 
soon as I had decided to break the vow the horse 
got bad. I tried to pray, I could only pray for God 
to forgive me. The horse dropped dead. I praised 
God for the lesson. 

I went home and decided to go that night and 
offer my property to my creditors, so I did. When 
I got in sight of home, as wife had heard of the horse 
being sick, she asked, " Where is Mike?" She did 
not wait for an answer, just kept calling out, "Where 
is Mike ? is he dead V 9 I said, • ' Yes, he is dead. 9 9 She 
said the preacher I was converted under was praying 
God to take our stock so I would go and preach. 
Poor woman did not know any better. 

I had promised to be at Cave in Rock that night 
to help a Baptist preacher in a meeting. I had been 
raised with him, but had not been with him since 
he was a preacher and I did not know the difference. 
I thought it made everybody like me, and I thought 
we could just work right along together. I had 
been to his meeting the night before and he had in- 
vited me to come to help him. It was the first time 
he had seen me since I was saved, and he lived a 
great ways off and did not know how ' 'crazy' ' I was. 



172 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

He did not know I believed all the Bible. I had 

promised to go help him. 

Casper Fink was down at M. D. Price's waiting to 
go with me as I passed. I had another horse brought 
out of the pasture. Wife was crying and quarreling. 
The hired girl was excited when I went into the kitch- 
en and asked for something to eat. She said there 
wasn't anything cooked. I came out into the hall; 
wife stood there crying. Our little boy near three 
years old was standing at her knees looking in her 
face as though he wanted to share her troubles. 

I said, "Now, wife, listen to me: which would you 
rather have had to die, the horse or that child ?" 
"Why, the horse, of course." I said, "It could have 
been the child just as easy as the horse, and 
it will be all of our horses and all of our children if 
I do not the will of God. I am going right now to 
give my property over to my creditors and go to 
preaching. I went to saddle the horse. She wanted 
me to eat my dinner. I said there was not anything 
cooked. "Oh, yes," she said, "there is plenty 
cooked." It was near sundown and I aimed to go 
eleven miles. I told her I did not have time. She 
brought me a handful of provisions. I left telling 
her she need not look for me until she saw me coming. 

I got to M. D. Price's, a distance of six miles, and 
it was dark. Grandpa Fink said, "This is a pretty 
time to come to meeting. What is the matter ?" I 
said, "There is a heap the matter; my horse died." 



FROM SIN TO GRACE. 173 

Mr. Price looked down. He and his wife were my 
security for several hundred dollars and had been 
friends to me and held me up through all my 
drunkenness. Now it did look like all my stock would 
die. We decided not to go to meeting that night, 
and when Brother Fink and I went to go to bed, I 
said, "Grandpa, I want you to pray. I want you to 
pray with me that God will show you as well as me if 
he wants me to give up my property to my creditors 
and preach.' ' He said he would. He was a man that 
stood fair with the people, and I knew they would 
believe him, and I was afraid Price's would not be- 
lieve me, and I hated to tell him, as he was a wicked 
drinking man. 

So we prayed and went to bed. Next morning when 
we got up Grandpa said, "What did God show you?" 
I said, "What did he show you?" He said, "I 
dreamed I was standing on that hillside below your 
house and I could see all over your corn-field and 
see your cattle and horses in the pasture and see all 
the hogs that you were feeding, and I thought, Well, 
Brother Brown can make money now, he has quit 
drinking. Just then a big hand moved around and 
swept it all away, the stock and corn, and a voice 
said, 'If he don't preach God will take it all.' " 
I said, "That will do." 

After breakfast he and I were at the gate talking. 
Mr. Price came by. I said, "Mike, God has called 
me to preach. ' ' He said, ' ' I believe it. " I said, ' ' He 



174 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

wants me to give up my property and let you dispose 
of it as you please, and me to go and preach." "I 
believe that, too," he said. And I never had talked 
about that, and hated to name it to him for fear they 
would not want to stand by me any longer. ' ' Well, ' ' 
I said, "I want you to just take all I have now and 
dispose of it, public or private, just as you please; 
and if it don't pay the debts, I will, if God ever 
gives me the means." He said, "That is all you 
can do." So he took charge of all I had. 



CHAPTER IX. 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 

With Baptist Preacher.— Wife Saved.— Tested.— Calls from 
Different Places.— Opposition.— Fasting.— Instructed in a 
Vision.— Trying Experiences.— A Mob. — Nashville, Tenn. — 
Services on Steamboat. — At Home Again. — Marion, Ky. — 
The Boy Preacher.— Street Preaching. — Vincennes, Ind. — 
Separates from Coworker.— Family Sick. — Move to Marion, 
Ky.— With Methodist Preacher.— The Afflicted Healed.— 
Carrsville, Ky. 

I stepped out on the promises of God, with wife 
and three children and not a dollar. But glory to 
God, I had salvation. Grandpa took me down to 
the Cave where I had arranged to go into the meet- 
ing with the Baptist preacher. We met him. He 
did not seem like the same man. I talked to him 
kindly, but he seemed to be all out of sorts. He said 
he did not aim to leave one stone on top of another 
in Cave in Eock. He said he was going out into the 
street and get on a box and preach each day. So he 
left me. 

We went to a house and put up for dinner. After 
dinner we went down and hunted him up. We met 
him, he said he was suffering with the headache. I 
said God could heal the headache. I put my hands 
on his head and Grandpa and T agreed that God 
175 



176 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

would ease his head and convince him he would 
answer prayer. He looked queer. After we prayed 
he looked to see if any one had seen me pray for 
him. I said, "Is it gone?" He said, "Willis, it is 
sure better. ' ' I said, * ' Isn 't it gone ? ' ' He said, ' ' Oh, 
I believe in prayer." 

He said he was going to invite people to meeting 
and for me to come and see who I could get to come. 
I said, "Clem, do you want me in this meeting?" 
He said he did, but the trustees were opposed. He 
was preaching in the M. E. church. I said, "If you 
will let me I will help you and I will preach, and 
if they tell me to get out I will quit. If they will 
shut me out I want to know it, for they know my 
life." Well, he said, "You just stay and do just 
as I tell you, and we will make it all right." He 
said, "When you testify do not give it so strong: 
just say you thank God for Christ's sake that he for- 
gave your sins, and that is enough. They can not 
stand your strong testimony." I said, "I can not 
do that; God has done more than that for me, and 
I must tell it." He said, "You stay, and when I call 
on you to pray, you pray ; and when I preach you go 
into the congregation and bring the people to the 
altar." 

I told Grandpa to stay all night and I would know 
by morning whether the Lord wanted me there or 
not. I met one of the trustees and asked him if he 
said I could not preach in that house. He said no; 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 177 

he would much rather I was in there than the man 
that was. Well, we prayed that night for God to 
show me if he could use me there. I dreamed he 
closed out Thursday night and I sent for Charley and 
we commenced meeting Friday night and that the 
people just crowded in from all parts. Next morning 
I told Grandpa what I dreamed, and told him I 
would stay and stand on the dream, and for him to 
go by my house and tell Charley to come down 
Friday. Sure enough, the preacher closed Thursday 
night. After he dismissed I called the attention of 
the people and told them my boy and I would preach 
there Friday night, if there was no objection. I 
asked a lady that was present and was a trustee if 
she had any objection. She said no, but there was 
another trustee present, I could ask him. He had no 
objection. I said, "I have seen the other three; 
there isn't but five, is there?" So there was the 
poor little Baptist preacher made out a liar right 
there, for he said they were not willing for me to 
preach there. The next morning the toughs printed 
it on boards that Willis Brown and son Charley 
would preach at the M. E. church that night. They 
put them up on every road that led out of the town. 
That night we had a large crowd. 

Charley came, and they all wanted to hear him. 
I asked him if he would talk before me or after. He 
said after. I preached, Charley got up and took a 
different text from the one I had and preached. 



178 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

That was his first text to preach from. He was just 
past eleven years old, and small for his age. 

I noticed a lawyer in the audience while I was 
preaching. I had often drunk with him. I just 
wished I could say something to get him saved. He 
watched me all the time. I heard afterwards he was 
saved. Some years afterward I met him in Shawnee- 
town. He took me by the hand and led me up to a 
large window and said, "Sit down here, I want to 
talk with you. I heard you preach at the Cave and 
you made a wonderful impression on me." I said, 
"I saw you watching me, and I was just wishing I 
could say something to cause you to get salvation." 
"Well," he said, "you said it, not so much what you 
said, but who it was that was saying it, that was what 
moved me. I just thought if God can save a wreck 
like Willis Brown and put him up to talk to an 
audience like this, he can save me." I will not tell 
his name, but if he reads this and wants to tell it, 
all right. 

Now after this meeting Charley and I went home 
and the baby boy was sick. I went and preached 
Sunday, came home and he was worse. I felt it was 
for my wife 's salvation. I would pray for him, but he 
was not healed. Monday morning he was no better. 
I felt led to go to a neighbor's. I thought the child 
was going into fits; however, I went. When I got 
to the neighbor's the lady of the house was sick. I 
prayed for her, she was healed. I went to where a 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 179 

sick sister was that was just talking of sending for 
me. I prayed for her and she was relieved. 

I told them I believed our baby was having spasms. 
When I got home at 2 o'clock found wife and little 
boy on her lap having one spasm after another. She 
said it had been that way ever since 10 o'clock. She 
was afraid to lay him down, and he was too heavy 
for her to carry, so she had just sat and held him in 
her lap all day. She could reach the water to get 
him a drink, but could not get any remedies without 
getting up, and she was afraid to get up with him. 
I came in, took him out of her arms and laid him 
on the bed. He took a hard fit. I fell on my knees 
at the bedside. Wife ran and got the turpentine 
bottle, there was nothing in it. She held it to his 
nose, then threw it down and got the camphor bottle 
and came with it. I saw there was some camphor 
in it. 

I said, "Now, wife, this is for your salvation, and 
unless you give your heart to God this child is going 
to heaven." She threw the bottle down, fell on her 
knees, and that was the first time I ever heard her 
pray. The fit lasted two hours, and the child was 
dead as far as we could see with the natural eye. 
I told the Lord if we were not fit to raise him to 
take him to heaven, but not to let him have 
another fit. Wife gave herself to God. The child 
breathed. This may seem pretty strange, but it is 
the truth. This was God's way of bringing my wife 



180 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

to salvation. Now this child was paralyzed from his 
waist down. We would pray, but he got no better. 

The devil commenced on me to make me sorry for 
giving up my property. He said I had better have 
sold some of those hogs and put the money in my 
pocket to keep me up until I got so I could preach. 
Then he would tell me there was nothing in heal- 
ing. Then he would tell me I was not called to 
preach and that my family would suffer. Oh, no 
one knows but God what a test I went through with. 
I had promised to take care of the stock ten days 
till the sale. I got sick and had to go to bed. There 
was my afflictions, all symptoms coming back, my 
child paralyzed, and no one to tell any troubles to 
but God. It seemed the heavens were brass and my 
prayers were not answered. Two weeks passed this 
way. I had almost given up. The devil said I could 
not preach, the people said I could not preach. I 
had just about begun to believe I could not preach. 
Pen can not write it, tongue can not tell it, reader, 
you can not believe what I passed through that two 
weeks. 

One day before I got sick I went up where some 
men were at work. There were three others or- 
dained to preach about the same time I was. They 
were talking about the new preachers, and I thought 
they had great confidence in me as a preacher. I 
thought up to that time I was doing fine preaching. 
One said, "Well, that young Aarons is going to 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 181 

preach, and Stephens is a fine preacher, Purcell is 
a natural-born preacher, but poor old Brownie, he 
can not preach; some one else was called and he an- 
swered.' ' It almost knocked me clear out. 

While I was going through the above second 
week's test, the devil would throw that up to me. 
Finally one Sunday I had an appointment, and I 
thought I would get up and go and fill it anyhow. 
1 got out of bed, but could not dress myself. I 
had to go back to bed. I lay there till my wife and 
an old lady that was there came in. This old woman 
did not believe in healing. I said to my wife, "If 
God has called me to preach, he will make me able 
to fill my appointment; I am going to put him to 
the test." I rolled out on my knees, called on God 
to make me able to fill my appointment as a witness 
that he had called me to preach. I rose well and 
put on my clothes and went a mile. When I got 
there I was a little weak. I told them the circum- 
stances and asked them to pray for me, and they 
did. I preached and felt well. 

I went home, ate my dinner, and was sitting study- 
ing over my case and had to go to bed. I summed 
up the whole matter and decided I would not be 
defeated by the devil. I rolled out of bed on the 
carpet, called my wife and Charley and told them 
to come and pray for me, I was going to die a nat- 
ural death or die to the devil. That was the second 
time I heard wife pray. She gave up, I got the 



182 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

victory, rose, left all doubts and unbelief lying there 
and rose in the name of Jesus once for all. I prayed 
for God to open the way for me to go where he 
wanted me. The next morning John Lambert came 
after me to go pray for his wife. She had been sick 
three weeks. I went and several met me there. We 
prayed for her, she got right up and got in the 
buggy and went seven miles. I had calls from place 
to place. 

I received a letter from a preacher to come one 
hundred miles to help in a meeting. I prayed God 
to show me if that was the way. I dreamed it was 
the way. I asked God to give me means to go. I 
saw in a vision a man with a roll of money and he 
gave me some to take the trip. I thought I went to 
Shawneetown and the train had gone, but I soon got 
another train. I was called to pray for Mitch Brand. 
He had pneumonia fever and was bad. Grandpa 
Fink and Mrs. M. E. Lambert, Brand's sister, were 
there. We prayed for him and he was healed im- 
mediately and got up out of bed. He was clerking 
at his father-in-law's, James Newt Oxford's. Brother 
Fink with Oxford and I went into the store. I 
showed them the letter from the preacher. Grandpa 
Fink said to Oxford, "Have you any money in your 
pocket?" .He said yes. He asked him for $15.00. 
Oxford took out a big roll of money, just as I had 
seen in the vision, and gave me $15.00. Fink said, 
"You must go right now, I will take you to town 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 183 

in the buggy.' ' I said, "I am ready. I want to go 
by home. ,, He said, "I will go with you." When 
we got to my home I told my wife to get my clothes. 
She began to cry, and as she packed my valise she 
bathed it in tears. You may think she did not have 
anything to cry about. 

Let us look at her surroundings. There she was 
to be left with three little children, and one of them 
paralyzed, and the whole neighborhood against her, 
and starvation staring her in the face. So she had 
something to weep about. When my valise was 
packed, I said, ''Let us pray." I began to pray, 
wife and children crying. I was kneeling by the 
rocking-chair where my paralyzed child lay. The 
thought came to me, If God has called me to preach 
he will give me evidence by healing this child. I 
laid my hands on the child and with all earnestness 
and faith and confidence in God I said: "0 Lord, 
if you have called me to preach this gospel, as I 
understand it, give me an evidence by letting the 
electric power of God go through this child's body 
and make him walk, and I will live and die for 
you." I just rose up, did not know to tell the child 
to get up and walk, but just felt it was healed. Wife 
and the other little boy were crying. I wanted to 
go away. It seemed my heart would melt. Tongue 
can not tell or pen write the feelings I had. 

The people said I could not preach, the devil said 
I could not preach, and I was about to believe it. 



184 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

The devil said I would go off and could not get 
back and my family would suffer. Oh, it was the 
biggest thing I ever did. Just give up all property, 
all friends and step out on the promises of God. 
I hurried to get away where I could not hear the 
cries of my family, which were tearing my heart. As 
I went out of the door I looked back at my paralyzed 
child. The devil said, "You never will see him alive 
again." I rebuked it the best I could. 

When we got to Shawneetown the train was gone 
just as I saw in the vision. Next morning I got 
another train. Well this strengthened my faith. 
I got me an overcoat and gave wife all the rest of 
the money except enough to take me where I was 
going. I reached the place with $2.00, and I struck 
a hard family, several grown boys, an old man and 
woman living in a little log house. ' ' Well, ' ' they said, 
"you are that saved saloon-keeper, are you? you are 
that tough the preacher told us about?" I said, "My 
name is Brown. Where is the brother?" "He is 
gone : he said if you came just to go ahead, and if he 
did not come back, you just go on with the meeting. ' ' 
I asked where he preached. "Here," they said, 
"at our house and over on Fox Ridge. You will 
preach here to-night, will you? We all want to hear 
you." They notified the neighbors and they gath- 
ered in and I tried to preach. They would laugh at 
me and make fun of me, and I would look to God 
and do the best I could. I gave my experience, which 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 185 

seemed to interest them. The old man said he would 
take me over on Fox Ridge, and there was going 
to be meeting over there and he would get them to 
let me preach in the house. We arrived at the place. 
The talk came up about the house and the preachers, 
and others were questioning me about what church 
I belonged to, and they had just about decided to 
let me preach, and the old man introduced me to 
some one, stating that he is that other preacher's 
partner that was here a while back. They told me 
I could preach Monday night. Well we announced 
meeting. Monday night came, there was a crowded 
house, and I told them all I knew, and they shut me 
out of the house. 

There was an old man told me he had two seven- 
teen-foot rooms and a hall between, I could preach 
at his house. First we asked the trustee for the 
schoolhouse, if we could preach there. He said no. 
Well we announced meeting at the dwelling-house. 
It seemed the whole country was stirred. I did not 
know how I was going to fight such a battle. I just 
went down on my face and asked God to send that 
preacher back there that had sent for me, and he 
came the next night and said he had a rig standing 
at his door to take him another way, but felt so im- 
pressed to come back that he went out and prayed 
and asked Ood if I was there, and if he wanted him 
to go to me to give him the money to come on before 
train time, and that was just thirty minutes. He 



186 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

said he went into the house and there was a lady who 
had come in while he was out and she handed him 
the money. He sent the rig back to the stable, took 
train and came to me. There was a large crowd. 

That night after meeting we announced meeting 
at that place for the next night. A man spoke up 
and said, "Why don't you stop at the schoolhouse ? ' ' 
I said, "The trustee said we could not." He said 
we could. He is just one of the three. I am one, 
and the other man and I say you can preach there. 
We don 't claim any salvation, but you give out meet- 
ing for there.' ' So we did, and God began to work, 
but the other minister decided we would close there 
and go to Wynoose. Well, we did and got in the 
U. B. house and held a meeting. God began to work. 
A sister by the name of Annie Murray was healed 
of a cancer of twelve years' standing. Finally the 
preacher came. He just got up and preached like 
we had not been there, and the people said it was 
the largest crowd he had had an opportunity of 
preaching to, so he had to make use of the oppor- 
tunity. Well, he shut us out of the house. We went 
on to another point, and when we got there, a pastor 
was holding a meeting, and we did not get to stay 
all night. 

We had hired a man to haul us thirty miles to get 
there, and we got him to take us seven miles further 
to the railroad. We shipped for Grayville, 111. We 
reached there about dark. Went to the hotel and 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 187 

put up without money. After we had arrived we 
were notified the town was quarantined on account 
of diphtheria. We prayed nearly all night. We were 
led to go up town next morning and get with some 
farmer and go to the country. We did, and while 
we were standing in front of a grocery-store a man 
came out. I motioned to my partner and said, 
"There is a farmer." He spoke to him, asked him 
how far out he lived. He said six miles at a little 
town. "Well," he said, "we would like to get out 
where we could preach." He said, "We have a 
schoolhouse there." We asked if we could go out with 
him. He said one could, and the other could go 
with his neighbor, so I went with the neighbor. He 
was ready then. My partner went to the hotel and 
offered to leave our valises to secure our night's lodg- 
ing; but the proprietor told him just to send the 
money back when he got it, and I did send it back 
when I got home 

Well, I reached the little town first. This man I 
was with did not live there. I did not know what 
else to do, only go to the old man's house that my 
partner was coming with. I learned they were very 
rich, large landholders and had $60,000.00 in bank. 
I had already learned the gospel I preached was not 
accepted by the rich. But it was raining and I had 
no money. I had to go somewhere, so I ventured to 
the big mansion. I told the old lady the circum- 
stances, that we were going to preach there. She 



188 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

asked me what church I belonged to. I told her the 
church of God. "Well, what denomination? We 
are the church of God, but we must have a name." 
Well, I saw there was trouble on hand. She said she 
was a Methodist. ' ' Well, ' ' I said, ' ' I have seen good 
Methodists." She said, "Are you sanctified?" I 
said, "Yes ma'am." She said, "It is not so; there 
is no person living sanctified." She said, "You can't 
sin?" I said, "Yes, but I do not want to and can 
live without it." She said, "He that saith he liveth 
and sinneth not, he is a liar." I reasoned with her, 
saw she was set in her ways, and I got her to be 
friendly with me, but I knew that there would be 
trouble when my partner got there. So they arrived 
and my partner asked her if she was saved, and they 
got into an argument and she got mad. Evening 
came on and we were starting to meeting. My part- 
ner said, "Grandma, I will give you something to 
study about while we go to meeting." She said, 
1 ' All right. ' ' But he forgot it, and I was glad of it. 
We went to meeting, had a good crowd. The old 
gentleman went and paid good attention and seemed 
well pleased. My partner was a good speaker and 
could draw the people till he got rough, then it took 
some one solid to stand. Well, we returned to the 
house, the old lady was very mad. My partner said, 
"Well, Grandma, I aimed to give you something to 
study about and forgot it." She said very crossly, 
' ' You need not mind, I have plenty to study about. ' ' 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 189 

The old man wanted to change the conversation, and 
he said, "Well, I may get up sooner than yon 
preachers want to. I am going fox-hunting to- 
morrow and will get up at 2 o'clock." My partner 
said that was too soon. I saw the old lady was very 
mad. I said, "That is all right, we can get up when 
you do." She said, "Yes, you can make out most 
any way one night." I knew that meant she was 
not aiming to keep us another night. So we went 
to bed, and the next morning at 2 o'clock we were 
called. As we came down stairs the old lady was at 
the foot of the steps. She never spoke. My partner 
offered to shake hands, but she would not shake. 
Breakfast was over and the old man asked us to visit 
an old Campbellite preacher that lived in town, and 
said he might be back that day and might not. So 
we went out to the barn and prayed and came to 
the house. She still was mad. We went and prayed 
again, came back and she was not any better. We 
went back and I asked God to show me what to do. 
I was impressed to leave, but I knew it was useless 
to go to any other house in town. The old man had 
asked us to go to his son-in-law's, but I knew that 
would not work. So I said, "Let us leave the town 
by faith." This was soon in the morning and we 
could not get a train until evening. 

We went to the depot, staid all day. We would 
go out and pray sometimes. Just about an hour be- 
fore train time these old folks' son-in-law came where 



190 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

we stood and said, "Have you fellows had dinner?" 
We said, "None only a feast with God." He said, 
"Why did you not come to my house for dinner?" 
I began to make some excuses. My partner took him 
by the hand and said, "I have a message for your 
mother-in-law ; will you take it to her ? " He said yes. 
He said, "You tell her I said God said if she don't 
get down and repent for the way she treated us, God's 
servants, she will die and go to hell, and that she 
has not got long to repent in." He looked very bad 
and went right up to tell her. I said, "Now you 
have fixed it! they will give us a thrashing before 
we get away." He said, "I can not help it, Brother 
Brown, I had to say it." We went into the depot, 
it was just a few minutes till train time. We did 
not have a cent. The depot was full of tough look- 
ing corn-huskers. It was a town filled with farmers 
that farmed in the Wabash bottoms and they hired 
many hands. It was a rainy day and they were not 
at work. 

I was looking for a report from the house we left. 
I saw one of the hired men pass the depot window. 
I dropped my head just so I could see his feet as 
he came in at the door. I was praying. He just 
came inside and stopped. I watched a minute to see 
what he would do. I raised my head, he had his 
hand in his pocket. He looked frightened. He mo- 
tioned his head for me to come out. I arose and 
started, thought sure I had to take a whipping. He 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 191 

took me to one side and handed me $1.00 and said, 
"Here is a dollar the old man sent you." I said, 
"What for?" He said, "Give it to you." "What! 
has he come back?" I said. He said yes. About that 
time a buggy ran by .with a man just laying the 
whip to the horse. He says, "There goes the doctor 
now. That old woman fell a while ago right on the 
floor and she is nearly dead. She can not get a 
breath. ' ' Just as her son-in-law took her the message 
she fell. Then the poor old man thought, like Simon 
of old, he would buy the truth with money. 

Well, we had our tickets by the time the train came, 
so you see God will provide if you will make the 
start. This was similar to the illustration the old 
colored man put on faith. He said, "Here is a brick 
wall. If God tells me to jump through the wall, it 
is my business to make the jump, and God's business 
to make the hole." So if God tells you to take the 
train, it is your business to go to the depot, and God's 
business to get the ticket. God don't make any mis- 
takes. If he says go, he will provide the way. When 
he told the man with the withered hand to stretch 
forth his hand if he had said I can not, he would 
not have been healed. 

After this we went to my brother-in-law's, where 
I had some nephews and grown nieces. Well, my 
brother preacher had been taught the holy kiss should 
be given to women as well as men, so he greeted my 
nieces, and as this was a new thing to them this 



192 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

made me more trouble. While they kept pretty still 
about it, I could see they were not satisfied. Of 
course this closed up the way for a meeting there, 
and as my brother-in-law and his family were great 
Methodists they could not understand how I was so 
well versed in the Bible when I had no education and 
had never read the Bible before my conversion. So 
he asked me how I learned so much about the Bible | 
I told him it was by fasting and prayer. He said 
we had a preacher here that fasted. I asked him how 
long did he fast, but he said, "He did not abstain 
from food entirely; when he sat down at the table 
he would look over the table and whatever his appe- 
tite craved most, that he would not eat. I said that 
was playing off on his stomach, that was not fasting 
Jesus fasted forty days and nights, the disciples ten 
days and nights at Pentecost, Paul three days and 
nights, Cornelius four days and nights, I fasted seven 
days and nights— five without water, the rest of the 
time I drank all the water I wanted, and I received 
what I was praying for." He said he thought that 
was punishing ourselves and God did not require us 
to do that. Jesus set the example, the apostles fol- 
lowed, and Peter said he came to lay an example that 
we might follow in his steps, and I realize that if every 
preacher that has started out to preach had followed 
the example that Jesus laid down in the fourth 
chapter of Matthew they would all come in possession 
of the Holy Ghost as the apostles did, and they would 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 193 

all have preached the same thing, and there would 
net have been six hundred and sixty-six ways, but 
one way. Praise God! 

We went to my home in a few days and tried to 
hold a meeting there, but the prejudice was so great 
against the work; in fact, there had such a reproach 
been brought on the cause by practising promiscuous 
kissing that many had given up their salvation and 
turned against the truth. 

After a few days the devil tried to make me think 
I had just as well quit and not try. I had taken a 
long trip and had not done any good, so the devil 
said. The brother and I talked about different places. 
He seemed to be led across the ocean. I felt the 
call to work. I knew I must go somewhere. I had 
depended upon him as my spiritual father. Then I 
began to call upon God to know where he wanted 
me, and I was led to fast and pray. I did, and after 
seven days and nights God gave me a vision. It 
seemed to me there was a man standing by my side 
reading a list of names of towns where I must go 
and I could plainly understand them. After the 
vision left me, I lay and studied about the trip a 
while, then fell asleep, and when I awoke I had for- 
gotten all the places but one. I waited for two days, 
but I could not think of them, so I began to fast 
and pray for God to show me, and after two days 
and nights of fasting and prayer God showed me to 
go to the first town that he had showed me in the 

13 



194 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

vision, which was forty miles from my home, and he 
would show me what to do, as he did Paul when 
he sent him to Damascus. We had just enough money 
to pay our way there. I wrote to a lawyer there 
that claimed to be sanctified and had asked me fre- 
quently to come and hold a meeting. I told him when 
I would be there and for him to have some one 
meet me at the boat. I bade wife and children good- 
by, but could not tell them anything, only I was 
going to take a long trip, and did not know only to 
the first town. 

When we arrived just at daylight there was not any 
one at the boat landing to meet us, so we went to 
the hotel and staid till after dinner, when we learned 
there would be a boat up Cumberland river. We were 
at Smithland, Ky. at the mouth of the Cumberland 
river. Just about the time the boat was due there 
was a man came in, telling me that his wife and 
some other sisters wanted us to come to his house. 
She had attended a meeting where the brother was 
preaching some time before and was healed of sore 
eyes. I found a hearty welcome there. The boat 
was late. There was prayer-meeting at the Methodist 
house that night. We went, the lawyer was there 
and gave us an introduction to the preacher, but he 
did not have much use for ns. He treated us very 
cool. We got to testify, and when they dismissed 
all the people ran across the house to shake hands 
with us, except the preacher, lawyer, and one woman, 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 195 

and there were about one dozen there. We went back 
home with the parties we had gone with ; and the 
crowd all went with us that had come to us after 
meeting. 

We were expecting to go on the first boat. We had 
not been there long till the lawyer came in and said 
he just came over to let us know before we left he 
was with us, and his pocketbook was closed against 
that preacher. About that time the boat whistled. 
My partner jumped up and grabbed his valise and 
said, "Let us go." I stood still. He looked at me 
and said, "Are you not going?" I said, "I don't 
know where to go; this is as far as God has showed 
me and I will wait on the Lord." The people began 
to rejoice, and the man of the house said, "You can 
preach here at my house." The lawyer looked bad 
and said he must go. We staid five days and nights, 
had a good meeting, but the lawyer never came. I 
find a great many that have the "moonshine" holi- 
ness he had. There were several saved, some sancti- 
fied, and a few healed. I fasted and prayed three 
days and nights and God gave me the vision back, 
and we started. The people gave us $7.00, and there 
was an old man came while we were there and said 
he was a holiness preacher and had been away from 
home two years and his unsaved wife had followed 
him and was sick and tried to make him go home, 
and he wanted to send her home, but lacked $4.00 
of having enough money. We gave him $4.00 of the 



196 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

$7.00 they had given us, and we had not gone more 
than fifteen miles until there was $4.50 given us. 

We went to the next town and tried to get a house 
to preach in. The preacher treated us pretty well. 
We had prayer with him. The brother that was with 
me prayed for God to save the Methodist preacher. 
He did not like that very well. 

I was acquainted with the warden of the peniten- 
tiary there. He let us go in the prison. We saw 
about six hundred poor prisoners, and saw the dogs 
set on one old colored man. This was Eddyville, Ky. 
We went from there to Nashville, Tenn., and preached 
the first night at the hotel and had a good crowd. 
The people and proprietor were anxious for us to 
see Captain Ryman, for they said he would get a 
place for us to hold a meeting. 

After we had gone to our room the brother who 
was with me told me that God had showed him the 
night before he should deny having a family, and he 
had not done it, and now we must leave there and 
go to another town and he would deny his family, 
then he would have power and success. I did not 
think that was right, but I had such confidence in 
him I was afraid to think he was wrong. So I went 
with him to the next town. We just had fifty cents 
when we reached Franklin, Tenn. When we got off 
the train we asked an express man, if there were any 
holiness people there. He said yes, and for us to 
wait till he came back, he had a load then, and he 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 197 

would take us to them. We said no, we would walk. 
He said he would not charge us anything, so we 
waited and he came and took us to a grocery-man 
and gave us an introduction to him, and he was very 
glad to see us, it seemed. He went with us to another 
business man and they all went with us to another, 
and so on, till they were all together. There were 
five, as well as I remember. All were well-to-do 
and had a good business. They were talking about 
getting a place to hold meeting and we told them 
we had no money and would have to have a place 
to stay. They just dropped us right there and had no 
more to do with us. We went to the hotel and 
ordered dinner. While we were waiting for dinner we 
got into a conversation with a church-member and we 
told him we were traveling on the apostolic line, and 
he asked us to speak a glass of water into wine. We 
told him as Jesus did the devil in the fourth chapter 
of Matthew: "We should not tempt the Lord our 
God, for we are called to preach, and not to turn 
water into wine for the devil.' ' 

We walked out and the streets were full of people 
and I was impressed to preach on the streets, but I 
did not obey. We had given our last cent for din- 
ner. We heard of a sanctified meeting out nine miles. 
We went to a liveryman and pawned him a watch 
to take us out there. When we got to the town we 
met quite a number at the store. We got out of the 
buggy and they seemed glad we had come, and took 



198 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

us to see the preacher. He asked what church we 
belonged to. We told him God's church. That was 
enough. We gave our testimony. He walked off 
and left us. We called him out and told him our 
circumstances. He said he could not keep us all 
night, that everybody was crowded. Well, we went to 
several places and no one could keep us. One man 
gave my partner twenty-five cents. 

I saw a large mansion up in a field, that had a 
gravel carriageway running up to it, and I was 
praying asking God where to go. We had been lock- 
ing to men and they had all failed, so I tried the 
Lord and I was impressed to go up there. It was then 
dark. I walked up the steps and gave the alarm and 
there was a lady came to the door. We asked her for 
the man of the house. We heard him call out from 
the inside, "Come in." We told him to come out, 
we wanted to see him. He insisted we should come in. 
We went in. He was very kind and offered us a seat. 
We told him we wanted to stay all night. He said 
all right. He said, ' ' You have not had any supper ? ' ' 
We said no, but we did not care for any supper. He 
told the cook to prepare supper. We told him that 
we did not have any money to pay him, and asked if 
he would just let us lie on the carpet, we just had 
twenty-five cents. "Well," he said, "that don't 
keep you from being hungry, because you haven't 
any money." He said, "I suppose you are some of 
the sanctified folks." We told him we were sancti- 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 199 

fied, but not like those people were. We told him 
how we had been treated. ' ' Well, ' ' he said, ' ' we will 
go out to meeting to-night." He wanted to see what 
they would do with us. He said he was a Campbellite. 
After supper we went over to meeting. We got a 
chance and testified to what God had done for us. 
After quite a number came and shook hands with 
us, one man said for us to come back the next day 
and they would find a home for us, for they wanted 
us there to help in the meeting. Our friend said for 
us to go back. He was anxious to see what they 
would do. He went to his meeting next morning, 
as it was Sunday. We went to the Methodist meet- 
ing. We testified again just as strong as God led. 
We were invited by a number to stay for the meet- 
ing, but none had room for us. The man who said 
he would find us a home never came near us nor 
spoke to us. 

After they dismissed we came out and found our 
friend waiting for us. I asked him if he was going 
home now. He said he was. I told him we wanted 
to go and get our grips. He went with us. As he 
went on he said, "Well, they found you a home, did 
they?" We said, "No; we are going to leave." He 
asked us if we saw the man that said he would get 
us a home. We told him we did, but he did not let 
on that he saw us. "Well," he said, "I thought we 
would get our widows and orphans and poor people 
taken care of since sanctification got into our town, 



200 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

but they are making a poor start on you brethren. I 
don't claim to be sanctified, but you will not leave 
till you get your dinner, and if I did not have to 
leave I would keep you brethren here to attend this 
meeting." He told us that he was a drummer and 
would have to leave that evening, that he was not 
afraid to leave us with his family, but the people 
would talk about it if he did so. We ate our dinner 
with him, bade him Godspeed and started out about 
4 o'clock. When we got out about a quarter of a 
mile from town on the pike that ran from Franklin, 
Term, to Murray, Tenn., I fell on my knees and 
cried out to God, "0 God, is it possible I have been 
deceived and led here by the wrong spirit ? There was 
a voice seemingly spoke to my soul and said, " Jesus 
had no where to lay his head; you are standing on 
the promises of God." My soul was filled with joy 
and I arose rejoicing. I picked up my valise and 
started with my back toward home and my face to- 
ward Jesus, determined to see the end of my vision. 
We stopped at every house and tried to get to 
stay all night, but no one would keep us. There were 
large mansions with gravel carriage roads leading to 
the house. The man of the house would always meet 
us at the door. We would ask them if they were 
a Christian. They would tell us what church they 
belonged to. We would tell them we were traveling 
on the apostolic line and would like to stay with them 
till morning. They all with one accord would begin 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 201 

to make excuses and had no room, but told us of 
a man at a little town that kept everybody that came, 
that he would not turn anybody off. "We came to 
a house and stopped at dark. The man of the house 
was drunk and the woman was sick. He said he 
made no profession, but he believed in our doctrine 
and would keep us if his wife was not sick, but it 
was just a little ways to a town and he said there 
was a man there that kept everybody that came. 
We reached the town and saw a storekeeper at the 
back door of the store with a burning lamp in his 
hand. It was dark. We called him and told him our 
business. He said he was a sinner, and that he could 
not keep us, but the man at the next door would 
keep us. 

We called on the next man. He said, "I don't see 
how we can keep you here. Our baby is sick, but it is 
no use to tell you to go on, for no one will keep you 
on this road." He said, "Let me see my wife." 
He went in to see her. I fell on my knees before 
God at the gate and asked God to put it in that 
woman's heart to let us stay all night. He came to 
the door and said, "Come in." We went in. He 
asked us if we had had any supper. We told him 
we had not, but not to bother about supper, just to let 
us lie by the fire. He told his wife to give him the 
sick child and to fix us some supper. I looked at 
the child, thought of the commission of the seventy, 
and we laid our hands on the child and asked God 



202 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

to heal it, and praise God, it was done. Now it isn't 
any use for me to tell you there were glad hearts 
there and a welcome home for preachers and a back- 
slidden father and mother brought to God. 

Well, the neighbors heard the alarm and the store- 
keeper and others came running, no doubt, to see if 
we were murdering the people, but they found the 
house filled with the glory of God. They began to 
beg us to hold a meeting there. They had a nic^ 
house there in town, but they said their preacher 
had been gone on a visit for six months. We told 
them to get the house and we would hold a meeting. 
They did not think it would be any trouble, and the 
next morning they saw one of the authorities. He 
said he would go with us to see the other one. So 
we went, but he said he could not do anything in 
the absence of the preacher. We asked him if we 
could have the schoolhouse, as he was trustee. He 
said no he had no right. I asked him how far it 
was to the next district or schoolhouse. He told me 
three miles. I said, ' ' We will go there, ' ' but he said, 
"It is no use for you to go there; he is an infidel, 
you can not get that house." I said if he was an 
infidel we could get the house, for I once was an 
infidel and I knew how to work them, but I could 
not do much with church-members. He tried to dis- 
courage, but we went on. 

We reached the infidel's house. He was a very 
rich man. I told him our business. He said he 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 203 

was just going to town, and as he did not know 
whether he had a right or not to let us preach in the 
schoolhouse, for us to just make ourselves at home 
there till he came back and he would see the super- 
intendent of the school. So we staid till next morn- 
ing. We were treated well. He came home that 
night, said the superintendent said there was another 
schoolhouse three miles farther in a nice grove, which 
was a nicer place than this, as this was in a lane 
and no place to hitch horses. The infidel said if we 
did not get a place to stay closer we were welcome 
to stay with him. We went over and began meet- 
ing that night. The Campbellites had meeting 
there on Sunday, and they were strong in that com- 
munity. We were invited the first and second night, 
but the third night we had no invitation to re- 
main. The people just looked at us and let us 
walk away, and none of them invited us to stay 
with them. The Word had come too straight for the 
Campbellites. We walked about a quarter of a mile 
and called at a house to get a drink of water, as 
there was none at the schoolhouse. I was very 
thirsty after preaching. The man of the house and 
his grown daughters were there. Just as we left 
the house, the lady of the house and some more of 
the girls came in. They had been to meeting and 
knew we had not had any invitation to go any- 
where. There was a black cloud rising and heavy 
thunder and it looked like rain. We had gone about 



204 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

thirty steps from the house when the man called 
us and asked us if we would not stay all night. 
I said we did not care, we would stay as we had no 
place to stay, and it looked as if it would be a 
bad night. We staid there three days and nights. 
It just rained all the time. 

The second day while we were out praying a 
neighbor came in and left word for us to come up 
and stay with him. The lady told us about it and 
I could see she was anxious we should go, but I 
wanted the way opened plainer. I was asking God 
to open the way for a home if he wanted me to 
stay there. The man where we were kept store and 
post-office and depot, as it was a railroad station. 
The third morning while at breakfast the lady said, 
"Well, this is the day Brother Lackey is to come, 
and I just dread it, for I have so much to do and 
the children are not well, and I can not care for 
company." I knew what that meant. She was 
tired of us. 

Brother Lackey was a Presbyterian preacher. He 
came once a month, and this man took him out 
three miles to his meeting-house. This man was a 
Presbyterian and his wife a Campbellite. After 
breakfast we went out to pray. I asked God to 
open a way right then for a home. It had quit rain- 
ing and the people were tired of us, so we went to 
the store and the man that had left word for us 
to come was there. He shook hands and introduced 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 205 

himself as Mr. Nesby. He said, "I live just a little 
ways up yonder/ ' pointing to a large mansion, 
"come, go up and stay with me." I told him I was 
waiting for the mail. He told me his son was there 
and was going to stay for the mail, and we could 
come with him, that he must go and tend to his 
cows and sheep, as he ran a dairy and raised sheep. 
The young man talked very freely. He said, "We 
don't want you fellows to think hard of us for not 
inviting you the other night. There have been so 
many 'dead beats' through here and we are afraid 
to take in strangers; but we have plenty of room, 
a good room and a bed and plenty of wood, and we 
have decided to keep you fellows and see what is 
in you. Just go there and make yourselves at home. ' ' 

The train came that Brother Lackey was on. We 
got our mail, bade the family good-by and invited 
them to meeting. We did not get an introduction 
to Brother Lackey, as he was rushed to a room, and 
we left. As we went to our new home I spoke of 
our valises. The young man said, "Where are 
they?" I told him at the little town where we 
just stopped. He said he would go with me after 
them. 

When we reached the house we found a large 
family, the old man and his wife, and son and his 
wife and children ; in fact, three sets of children. 
The old man that had just a while before left us 
at the store seemingly all right physically was 



206 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

suffering with a catch in his back, could scarcely 
move, said he was subject to it, and it lasted three 
or four days. We prayed for him, and he was 
healed instantly. Well, it stirred the family. The 
old man and his wife and daughter-in-law made a 
profession. 

Well, we were welcome visitors and exhorted to 
just feel a.t home. After dinner the young man and 
I took a horse and buggy and went after our valises. 
As we were driving along he said: "We have had a 
time at our house since you fellows came in here. 
My brother is just twenty-one, and we were cleaning 
out the barn the other day. Pa was helping. Sam 
said, 'Well, there was not but two Christians in the 
meeting the other night.' 'Who was that Samuel?' 
said pa. 'Them two preachers.' '0 Sam,' said pa, 
'you are mistaken.' He said, 'Pa, just show me 
another one, and I will eat a horse right here. ' Well, 
he named several. Sam would tell what they had 
done. Pa said, 'Well, Sammie, me and your ma.' 
'Well, pa, you and ma don't claim to be Christians 
do you? I never knew that before. You claim to 
be Christians, and let those preachers go away, never 
asking them to stay all night ? ' Pa set down the fork 
and went right to you fellows, and did not see you, 
but left word for you; then this morning he went 
after you again." So you can see God did use that 
sinner to open up a home for us. Well, we had a 
good home, and God showed the old man and his 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 207 

wife and daughter-in-law that they had just joined 
the meeting-house and had no salvation. So they 
got saved, and all the household, but one, who was 
seeking and said he would not cease till he found 
pardon. 

I had now been away from home for a month and 
could not hear from my family. I was going through 
a trial. The brother that was with me had seemingly 
lost his mind, for he had denied he had a family, 
and I knew he had. He was trying to show me by 
the Bible where he was justifiable. I would keep 
praying to God if it was not right for him to deny 
his family to keep bothering him by making him 
dream of them. He did not want me to write to 
my family, for they would find out where he was 
and he said God did not want any one to know 
where we were till he manifested his power through 
us till his name would go out as it did in the days 
of Christ. I fasted and prayed a day and a night. 
I had seen him used of God, so was afraid to accuse 
him of being wrong. So I took his case to God and 
he began to have dreams. Every morning when we 
would get up he would state what he had dreamed 
about his family. 

One morning I was sweeping our room. He was 
making up the bed and told his dream. I said, 
"Praise God!" and the power of God came upon me 
and I said, "I have been praying God if it was 
wrong for you to deny your family to make you 



208 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

dream of them every night." He grabbed me and be- 
gan to cry and asked me what to do. I said, * * It is of 
the devil; just confess to the people the devil made 
you believe you had to do what you have done. That 
night there was a large crowd at the meeting, and 
while we were singing he cleared his throat a few 
times and a man in the audience mocked him and 
he reproved him pretty sharp. We sang another song 
and he began on the man again. I said, "Hush." 
I saw he was unbalanced in mind. He said, "Let 
us pray. ' ' He fell on his knees, asked God to forgive 
him for telling he had no family, and the people be- 
gan to talk out and he kept up his prayer of con- 
fession for about an hour. When he got through 
I thought they would take him out of the house. 
I told them the reason I had shunned them and had 
staid right with him all the time was because I did 
not want to give them a chance to ask me about his 
family, for I did not want to tell them the truth 
about the matter, and had determined I would not 
tell a lie ; for this cause I did not give them a chance 
to talk privately with me, but had been fasting and 
praying for God to bring it out, and now I was free 
and could tell them who we were, and where we 
came from. So I did, but the enemy was stirred and 
prejudice was raised. 

The next day the old preacher we gave the money 
to send his wife home came to us. He was fanatical 
and had fits. He preached that night from the 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 209 

twenty-third chapter of Matthew and abused the 
people. The next day the man where we staid called 
me into his room and told me we had better leave, 
for there was a number coming after us that night. 
I said I had not done anything to run for, and I 
was led there of the Lord and would not go unless 
God showed me. He told me that they said I was 
all right, but they were going to whip me for being 
with those other men. I said, " Praise God, I am 
no better than Paul. I will take it if God permits 
it, and it will be for my good and God's glory." 
I said, "If you don't want me here I will leave 
your house, but I will not leave the country." He 
said he did not care for our staying, only he hated 
to see the mob take us, and he could not help us. 
Just a short distance from there they had killed 
a Mormon preacher. I said I would not go, but I 
would tell the other brethren and they could do as 
they pleased. I told them, and one wanted to go; 
the other said he would leave it with me. I said, 
"I am going to stay." Just at sundown I was 
carrying in wood for the fire and praying. I looked 
at the sunset and it looked a little cloudy. I said, 
"Lord, if you don't want me to go to the school- 
house to-night send a hard rain. Now, Lord, you 
can do this just as easy as you let it rain for Eli- 
jah." 

While we were eating supper it began to rain. I 
never saw a harder, steadier rain. We began to 

14 



210 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

sing in our room. The family all came in. We were 
having a good time when some one heard a noise. 
They went out on the porch and there were men 
on horseback right in the yard. They called for the 
preachers. I went out after I had persuaded those 
in the house to turn me loose. The men said, "We 
came after you preachers to go down to the school- 
house to preach. There are some parties who have 
never met you; there is a big crowd down there." 
The man of the house said, ' ' Let them come up here ; 
they can not go in this rain." But they said there 
were some women down there. He told them they 
could come up to his house as well as we could go 
down there, that they were already wet. They left, 
and pretty soon fourteen came. There were two 
women. They were given seats. We sang a song 
and I prayed. We sang another song. I saw the 
devil was in them. I just prayed and prayed till 
they were all on their knees but two, and they were 
leaning on each other crying. After midnight they 
left, but confessed they had come after us, but de- 
cided God would answer prayer and so changed their 
minds. 

I dreamed while there that my wife was dead. 
I fasted and prayed and asked God to show me my 
wife living or dead, just as she was. I saw her in 
a vision and she was in a coffin, but alive. This 
left me undecided. I dreamed an old German 
brother had my children, and I became satisfied any 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 211 

way God wanted it. Well, God did a good work 
there amid all the deception of the devil. 

We next went to the city of Nashville and rented 
a room. We learned Mr. Moody would close a two 
weeks' meeting at the Sam Jones' tabernacle that 
night. We went. There were said to be 8,400 people 
there. Moody talked about thirty minutes from the 
ninth to the eleventh verses of the tenth chapter of 
Romans. They took up a collection before he 
preached. There was nothing said about altar ser- 
vices. 

We next attended the Methodist meeting out in 
the city. They said the preacher was sanctified. He 
treated us very nice and asked me to talk after he 
preached, so I did. He did not have the same sanc- 
tification I did, and it would not mix. The members 
crowded around me after meeting and wanted me to 
hold a meeting. The preacher objected and slipped 
out and left us. Next we went to a hall near the 
meeting. There were a lot of men going through a 
form of testifying. The old brother that was with 
me began to testify and jumped from the pulpit to 
the door about three times and scared them all and 
they dismissed. 

We went to see Captain Ryman, the great steam- 
boat man that was converted in Sam Jones' meeting, 
and poured out his whisky and turned his saloon 
into a gospel hall, and telegraphed to all his boat 
captains to throw the contents of the barroom over- 



212 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

board, so I was told. I had heard of him and at 
one time did a great deal of business with him by- 
letter, but never had met him. The brethren talked 
to him. I did not know what was said. When they 
went away I introduced myself to him, told him I 
used to ship on his boats a great deal and had cor- 
responded with him, and Captain Roundtree had 
picked me up on the river many a time when I was 
drunk and brought me to my landing, where I ran 
a saw mill. "Now, God has saved me, and I am 
here in your city to try to help some poor drunkard 
get out of the ditch. Can you assist me in getting 
a place to preach?" He held my hand, and said: 
"Brother Brown, I am glad to meet you. I remem- 
ber of hearing of you. Now I will do all I can. I 
have no place but the Jones' tabernacle, which costs 
$7.00 a night to run it, and it will be too big. I 
have let the Salvation Army have my hall; if they 
will let you use it part of the time, all right. When 
you get ready to leave the city, come around and I 
will give you a free pass anywhere my boats run." 
I told him that we would want to go to Shawneetown 
and to Evansville in about a month, if the Lord 
willed. He said all right. 

We went to see the Salvation Army captain. He 
would not let us have the hall. We preached on the 
streets, but they stopped us. A Jew came up and 
told us to come with him and see the mayor. We 
went, and while they went up stairs to see the mayor 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 213 

I knelt on the sidewalk and prayed. When I raised 
up from prayer there was a crowd gathered around 
me. There was a fine dressed woman who said, 
"What kind of religion do you believe in?" I said, 
"The kind Jesus died for." There was a man looked 
very sad. We asked him if he was a Christian. He 
said no; he was just what I used to be— a drunkard, 
a wreck. We asked him if he wanted to be a Chris- 
tian. He said yes. We knelt and prayed with him, 
and he said by the help of God he would meet me 
in heaven. I believe there was a truth stamped on 
his heart that will win his soul. The authorities 
would not let us preach on the street any more. 

When we got ready to leave the city I went down 
to the boat office to see Captain Ryman. He said all 
right, he would give us free passages. We went back 
for our valises. We met the man that we left at 
Franklin that we had pawned our watch to and 
paid him and got it. When the boat went to leave 
Captain Ryman told us good-by and said, "Go on 
and do all the good you can." As soon as the boat 
was straightened out in the river we began to sing 
and started a protracted meeting. We had two ser- 
mons a day and a night. The officers of the boat 
tried to stop us, but we told them we were doing 
what Captain Ryman said — all the good we could. 
They finally got reconciled, and it seemed that they 
were all glad to see the services commence. I have 
traveled a good deal on that boat since, and they all 



214 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

are glad to see me. There was a great deal of 
good done, as sometimes there were over two hundred 
passengers on board. 

The old brother that came to me last came on to 
my home. I had not heard whether my wife was 
dead or not. As I got in sight of the house I could 
not wait for the old brother. I said, "Yonder is my 
home; I will go on, you can come." It was a mile 
to the house and up a big hill, but the nearer I got 
the faster I went. I could not see anything that 
looked like any one lived there. When I stepped into 
the house my wife was on her knees before the 
fire mending some of the children's clothes. She 
raised her head and looked at me, but made no effort 
to get up. I stood and looked at her and thought 
many a thing in a moment. The little boys were 
playing and did not see me for a while. When they 
saw me they just ran and grabbed my legs, then wife 
gave a scream and ran to me and said: "I saw you 
standing here one hour ago and started to you and 
you disappeared, and I was afraid to start to you 
for fear you would go again." She said she thought 
I was dead. 

Now there was a trip of several hundred miles 
ended that had been traveled by faith. Reader, you 
may not understand this, but I do. I learned some 
precious lessons that God could not have taught me 
any other way. I saw what it was to forsake wife 
and house and land and follow Jesus. I saw what it 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 215 

meant to be made white and tried as one tried in 
the fire. I saw what it meant to forsake all; yea, 
even my own life to follow Jesus. I saw what it 
meant in Mat. 28: 19, 20: "Lo I am with you alway, 
even unto the end of the world.' ' 

"Well the old brother and I began a. meeting at our 
schoolhouse, and a sister was brought there that 
could not walk and had not spoken above a whisper 
for three weeks. She told them if they would bring 
her there and I prayed for her she would be healed. 
She was healed instantly and raised and shouted 
with a loud voice. God had called her in the work. 
She was the wife of a friend of mine that I used 
to drink and carouse with. It was his going to the 
altar that caused me to go to meeting, when I got 
my infidel props knocked down. But the devil had 
made him think his wife ought not to preach, but 
she said she would go. He gave his consent. She 
went with me in a meeting near by, and God gave 
her liberty in preaching the Word. Her husband 
called her home to sign a deed to a farm and she 
tried to stay at home. This was the second time 
God had raised her up. 

While in the meeting at home the old brother con- 
demned me for having buttons on the back of my 
coat and said a sanctified man could not wear them. 
He took a jumping spell and jumped to the door 
and back to the pulpit three times, and most of the 
Christians said that was God in that man and eon- 



216 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

demned me for not cutting the buttons off of my 
coat. I was trying to explain to them, and the old 
man took a fit. I laid hands on him and rebuked the 
devil and the fit went off. Some few believed I was 
of God then, and the old man wrong. Others said 
I put the spell on him. 

There was a neighbor that made a big profession. 
He got up and made a great noise, jumped and said 
all who believed as I did were wrong. I prayed God 
to stop him. He jumped and jerked and put his 
head out of the window. He said I put a spell on 
him, that I had learned it from the preacher I was 
converted under, but I did not know just how hard 
to put it on a fellow. He said if I would have given 
him another jerk it would have drawn his ribs out 
of him. Some believed it, and many that were mad 
turned against me, and some were afraid of me. I 
found in other places when God would answer prayer 
they would say that I was dangerous, and shun me. 

The brother that made the long trip with me said 
he was with his family and had a hall rented in his 
home town and for me to come at once. When I ar- 
rived I found his wife sick, and he could not leave the 
house. I went to the hall over a saloon. I opened 
it up and lit the lamps. It was raining very hard 
and in the room below a large crowd were playing 
billiards, drinking, rattling glasses and swearing. I 
began to sing and pray and had meeting just the 
same as if the hall had been full ; however, just Jesus 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 21? 

and I alone. They would come up the steps and 
push the door open and look in, then go back. I kept 
on till they all got quiet. After while I put out the 
lights and came down. They were all around the 
foot of the steps to see what I looked like. They 
had found out that God could save a drunkard, or 
had heard it now. 

We gave up the hall and went out in the country 
four miles and began a meeting. I was in need of 
clothes and God had to make some one get them. 
A little girl that lived with her grandparents near 
by took the toothache, and I never saw any one suffer 
worse. She would not let them do anything for her, 
but wanted me to pray. I would pray and she would 
get better, then worse than ever. So the ninth time 
I prayed she was almost having spasms. She was 
down on the floor and her grandmother and grand- 
father and others holding her. She was screaming at 
the top of her voice. I just held on to God for her. 
Finally I struck the key-note of faith, as I thought 
the old man was not saved and he was crying and 
she was his pet. I asked God to heal right then for 
his salvation. She hushed at once and fell asleep 
and they were convinced. The old woman took me 
to town and bought me a new suit of clothes and 
shoes and hat. I went home, and wife was a little 
encouraged. I was praying for God to open up a 
way for me and show me where he wanted me. 

I received a call to come to Marion, Ky., a town 



218 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

where I had lived while I was in sin, and where my 
assessments one spring were over $3,000.00, and next 
spring they were $15.00, assessed both times by the 
same man. They said I could have the opera-house. 
I felt led to take Charley, and he wanted to go. This 
was in April, 1896. Charley was twelve years old 
and had been preaching at the home schoolhouse. 
We reached there April 15th. 

There I was reminded of a drunken vision I had, 
or rather a castle built in the air. In the fall before 
I was converted I was going home from town drunk 
and I was preaching. I was very religious when I was 
drunk and would pray, ask the blessing and preach, 
and I had the trees along the road for my congrega- 
tion, and I made out that I had been saved and gone 
to preach and had gone back to Marion, Ky., and that 
those trees were the people coming and shaking hands 
with me and rejoicing over my change. I had not 
thought of that drunken delusion till I had reached 
the town. As I stood on the corner just at the place 
and in the position I had seen myself in the delusion 
and the people rushed running from the stores, 
saloon and court-house, I thought about my drunken 
delusion. The people were all glad to see me and it 
was a great surprise to hear me preach and hold up 
a Christ that they had heard me deny. 

We had quite an interest there, but the people 
would not accept the brother that was with us, as 
he was a little queer, so he left with the understand- 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 219 

ing he was to start a meeting at Princeton, Ky., and 
we would soon join him there. He went to Prince- 
ton, but did not stay long. We got through and he 
had written for us to come on. We got to Princeton 
and got to preach in the court-house and Charley 
was very homesick. He had been away from his 
mother about a month, and it was the first time he 
had ever been parted from her a week. I asked God 
to give us money to take him home if it was his will 
for me to take him home. So that night we got the 
money and started next morning and reached a min- 
ing town, where we got off the train to take a water 
transportation, and the superintendent of the coal- 
mines was at the depot and asked us to stay at his 
house and join a company of preachers there in a 
meeting; said they had been having meeting two 
weeks and did no good. We refused to stop, but he 
begged us to stay for dinner, so we went to his house. 
He went and saw the preachers and they came and in- 
sisted that we stay and preach that afternoon and 
night. I preached in the afternoon and Charley 
preached at night to a large crowd. They gave us 
money to pay our way home and back, as Charley 
would not consent to stay until he saw his mother and 
little brothers. We went home and staid a few days 
and returned. The meeting was still advertised and 
we had large crowds. There was deep conviction, but 
they would not yield. One Methodist preacher 
prayed God if there was any one there whose doom 



220 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

was sealed and they were being used of the devil to 
draw people down to hell and wonld not turn and was 
going to hell anyhow to kill them and take them out 
of the way of others that would be saved. I thought 
it was the queerest prayer I ever heard. But it had 
its effect that night. The altar was full and the worst 
worked up people I ever saw. Charley was wonder- 
fully used of God. 

The news went out to all the neighboring towns 
about the boy preacher and people came for miles 
around. One night Charley said he wanted to stay 
away from meeting and sleep. I let him stay. When 
I reached the place where we had meeting I could 
hardly get to the house for the people. The preacher 
asked me where Charley was. I told him. He said 
that would never do, for there were people there 
who had spent their last cent to come there to hear 
him, and for him just to come and testify if no more. 
I went after him. He was fixing for bed. I told 
him what I had come for. He said he could not go, 
he was worn out. The lady of the house was a 
Catholic, but seemed to like us. She begged him to 
go, said her boy could go with him, and when he said 
what he had to say and the people saw him he could 
come back and go to bed. So he went. The people 
accused him of committing his sermons to memory 
and saying them like a speech. The boy had heard 
the people talk and he said to Charley as they went, 
"You havn't any sermon fixed up for to-night 1" 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 221 

Charley said, "No ; I never do have, but I do not feel 
God will give me anything to say to-night.' ' I said, 
"Let us get down here, son, and ask God." We 
knelt by the walk and I put my hands on him and 
said, "Lord, if you have called this boy to preach 
and I am doing your will taking him with me, give 
me the evidence by giving him the most powerful 
message you ever did, and souls for his hire." He 
rose and walked ahead of me. I had to rush to 
keep up. He reached the door. 

It was a company store-house about one hundred 
feet long and forty feet wide and was full of people. 
The wareroom along the side was full, the windows 
were full, the streets were full of people. As he en- 
tered the door they picked him up and he was 
handed from one to another till he reached the center 
of the room, where there was a box fixed up for him 
to stand on. The song closed. As his feet touched 
the box, he said, "You will find my text in the 
eleventh chapter of John and the thirty-fifth verse: 
"Jesus wept." Their were several looked at their 
watches. He began to preach and the people began 
to weep. I could not see a dry eye. Everybody 
I saw was crying, seven preachers, beside me, all 
crying. I would look at him as he would throw his 
hands up; he looked more like a marble statue than 
a boy. I would think he was gone. Now you may 
think strange of me having such thoughts, but if you 
knew what wonderful things God had done for me, 



222 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and what kind of a boy he had been, and what he was 
then, you would have thought it would not have been 
any more of a marvel for God to take him like he 
did Enoch than it was for him to do what he had 
done for me and the boy also. He closed by saying, 
"If there is any one here wants salvation come to 
the altar." They that looked at their watches said 
he had just talked twenty-four minutes. He was 
grabbed from off the box and handed out from one 
to another, hugged and kissed by men and women 
until he reached the door. When set on his feet he 
was joined by his boy companion, who awaited him 
at the door, and like other children they soon went 
to bed. 

Twenty-four fell at the altar and in one hour all 
claimed to get a clear case of salvation. I never paid 
any attention to the devil after that when he would 
tell me the boy was not called to preach. There were 
one hundred and eighty souls claimed salvation in 
that meeting, and they were divided in four denom- 
inations, and I was offered $1,200.00 a year to preach 
for the devil. I would not take it, but left with 
$4.00 ; but had full salvation, savecL, sanctified, healed 
and called of God to preach the full gospel. "Go ye 
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in 
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the 
Holy Ghost : teaching them to observe all things what- 
soever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with 
you alway, even unto the end of the world." Mat. 
28 : 19, 20. 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 223 

After this meeting closed I felt led to go to my 
wife's cousin's, and my old chum. We reached there 
between midnight and day, found his wife at the 
point of death. I told him I felt impressed if he 
would give up for her to preach God would raise her 
up. He said he was willing. My wife was there and 
we prayed and she was healed, and her man went to 
town and got drunk. Charley and I left and went 
to another meeting within five miles of the last one 
we held. I was fasting and praying for this sister 
and God showed me she wanted to come to the meet- 
ing and was looking for me to come after her. I se- 
cured a horse and buggy and went and she had her 
clothes and the little girl's ready, and had told them 
I was coming after her. My wife was still there and 
staid with the family and she and her little girl 
went with me. God used her wonderfully in the 
meeting. 

We closed the meeting and came home and my 
wife had gone home. Charley and I went home with 
the understanding that we would let the sister know 
when we went to Indiana to hold a meeting. When 
I got home my wife said she did not want me to 
have any more to do in getting the sister in the work 
for her cousin thought it was my fault, that God had 
not called her to preach; so we did not go by for 
her, but we started on a four-hundred mile trip by 
faith to meet a man, whom I doubted, but whom 
Charley thought was all right. I did not want to say 



224 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

anything to him against the man, as he had much 
confidence in him, but thought we would go and 
travel with him and find him out. 

We bought a ticket for as far as we had money, 
which was not over thirty miles, and there we 
preached on the streets and got a house for two ser- 
vices. We got enough money to pay our hotel bill 
and take us to the next town. We put up at the 
hotel for dinner, supper, bed and breakfast. We 
went to our room and counted our money and just 
lacked twenty-one cents of having enough to pay our 
bill. We wanted to try and get a house for Charley 
to preach. We found the Methodist preacher; he 
said there were so many rascals traveling that he had 
to be careful who he let preach. I said, "Yes, I 
know there are many rascals traveling, and there are 
some that are stationary, but it is not supposed that 
a twelve-year-old boy would be much of a rascal, and 
I just asked for the house for him to preach in." 
He said the bell was turned over and we could not 
get a congregation. I said, "All right; God has a 
house, the sky is the cover and the ground is the 
floor, and no man can shut the door; we will preach 
on the streets." We went and saw the marshal and 
got permission to preach in front of five saloons, 
which was called whisky row. When they found out 
where we were going to preach they tried to get us 
to come up on Main Street, so the women could hear 
the boy. I said no, the drunkards need to hear the 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 225 

gospel; so we went to singing. Men came running 
out of the saloons yelling. We knelt and I prayed. 
They stepped on me and swore and made quite a 
fuss. I asked God to still their tongues. They all 
kept quiet and we got up and sang another song, and 
Charley got up on a box to preach. When he got 
through they handed him some money. We went to 
our room and counted what he had received, and it 
was just twenty-one cents, just enough to pay our 
lodging with what we had. 

We prayed that night and the Lord showed me to 
go to that same place in the morning and preach; 
so after breakfast we went there and began to sing. 
The gang came running out of the saloons and the 
people began to gather on the corners. I prayed 
again and I preached. One half-dressed fellow made 
fun of me. I just gave my experience and drew my 
picture in their minds and it just fit that fellow. 
I told how I would work hard all week, come to town 
to get what my family needed and would get drunk 
and spend my money, get kicked out of the saloon, 
and if I heard any one say anything about Jesus 
I was ready to make fun of them. They all just 
pointed at that fellow and he slipped back in the 
crowd and kept still. They crowded up and gave me 
money. I closed, Charley was talking, and the train 
whistled that we aimed to take. We started on a run. 
They told me we could not catch the train. I just 
said my address is Willis Brown, Chambers Creek, 



226 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

111., if you want to write to me. I do not know why 
I said it. I told Charley let us leave our valises at 
the hotel and have them sent to us. He said no, 
that would not do. I told him then to take the Bible 
grip and run to the depot and try to get the con- 
ductor to hold the train, and I would go to the 
hotel and get our valises. I ran and saw the train 
pull out. 

I was lost. I had forgotten the name of the hotel. 
I inquired where the Campbellite church was, and 
was told it was just across the street. I knew the 
hotel was just on the other corner, but the train was 
gone. I went to the depot and Charley said, "Well, 
we are left, but all things work together for good 
to them that love the Lord, and I know we love him. ' ' 
He said, "What will we do now?" I said, "Let us 
go back and preach to our gang." We walked a 
piece and met a man who said, "Well, you got left. 
T knew you would." He said, "You say you live in 
Hardin County?" I asked if he was acquainted 
there. He said he wasn't, but his wife was; she was 
raised there. I asked what her name was. He said 
Patten. I said, "Josephine Patten— well, I partly 
raised her." She lived with me when she went off 
on a visit to her sister's and married and sent back 
for her trunk. He asked me my name, and I told 
him Willis Brown. He said he had heard her speak 
of me so much, and asked me to come and go to his 
house. We went to her house and she was getting 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 227 

dinner. He called her to come in. She came in and 
he asked her if she knew me. She said she didn't 
believe she did. I said, "You know that boy?" and 
she jumped at me and said, ' ' I know you, and is that 
Charley?" She left my home when he was about 
one year old. It was like a father and child meeting, 
for I had been a father to her, and she seemed to feel 
near to me. When I told her we were preaching, 
she did rejoice, for she was wonderfully saved, but 
never expected to see me saved, as I was a drunkard 
and a wreck when she saw me last. 

"We ate dinner. She said there was a woman dying 
across the way and she wanted to go there. They 
had telegraphed for her children, and the doctors had 
given her up. She was gone a little while and came 
running back and said, ' ' That woman told me as soon 
as I got in that her husband came back from sending 
a despatch for her children and she heard him tell 
about seeing a man down on his knees before the 
saloons praying, and she told him to get that man, 
God sent him there for her benefit. 'If that man 
would come and pray for me I would be healed : ' but 
she said he went and the man had taken the train 
and gone." The woman said, "He is at my house, 
I know him. I lived with him, he is like a father to 
me. He missed the train and my husband brought 
him to our house." The sick woman praised the 
Lord and asked her to go get me. We went and the 
house was full of sectarians. I talked to her about 



228 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

healing and quoted scripture, and asked her if we 
would agree if she would believe God would heal her. 
She said yes. We knelt. I said every Christian that 
wants God to heal this woman right now kneel 
around this bed and pray with us, and everybody 
kneel down. Well, Charley, the woman that went 
there with us and her unsaved husband, and the sick 
woman's husband knelt. . The whole crowd looked 
mad and stood as we prayed. I said amen, jumped 
up and went to singing, and the woman that seemed 
to be as good as dead got right out of the bed and 
shouted, but there was no one left to rejoice with 
her except her husband, the man and woman that 
went there with us and Charley and I, for the rest 
ran like scared dogs. 

This woman had been bedfast for one year with 
dropsy, and had been tapped three times. Charley 
went over Monday morning to see how she was and 
she hollowed at him as he came in at the gate and 
said, I don't only go in the kitchen where they are 
getting breakfast, but I help get breakfast; I am 
well. When we went there we had no home, no 
friends, no money to stay all night. Now we had 
plenty of homes and people begging us to stay. 
It was mostly sinners that made no profession. 

We came back by there in a few weeks and she was 
sick in bed. We talked with her, and she said she got 
along fine, swelling all gone and she was doing her 
work, and a woman begged her to make a tea to 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 229 

keep the swelling from returning, and she made a 
tea and drank it and it made her sick and she had 
been in bed ever since. We asked her if she would 
promise God to let all remedies alone if he would 
heal her. She said yes. We prayed for her and she 
was healed at once, and raised praising God for the 
lesson she had learned. 

Our next experience was, we bought a ticket for 
as far as we had money. We reached the city of 
Vincennes, Ind. We went and got permission of the 
mayor to preach on the streets. We went to the 
place he told us we could preach. Charley went one 
way and I the other and told the people there would 
be a boy preach on a certain corner at 3 o'clock. We 
got the meeting announced. It was 12 o'clock. We 
were walking down the street. Charley looked into 
my face and said, "Papa, I am hungry." If there 
had been a dagger thrust through my heart it would 
not have shocked me any worse. I said, "Son, I can 
not help it." He said, "Haven't you got some 
coppers?" I said, "Maybe I have." We both to- 
gether raised ten cents. We went and got some 
cheese and crackers and he ate them, and I prayed 
while he ate. I tell you I had a battle. The devil 
showed me many a job to work at that would keep 
my child from telling me he was hungry, and I have 
to tell him I had nothing to give him to eat. Then 
the Lord called my attention to the covenant I made 
with him when I started to preach, if he would heal 



230 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

my paralyzed child. I said, "Lord, I will trust 
you, though we all starve. Abraham gave his son 
and you furnished a substitute." The hour arrived 
for meeting. We were there, and a good crowd 
gathered around. Charley preached. They gave him 
twenty cents I thanked the people for their kind- 
ness and asked God's blessings upon them. A fellow 
hollowed, "Sing on, old man, you will do a heap of 
good here." 

An old lady came crowding toward me and said, 
"Amen. What church do you belong to, brother?" 
I said, "The church of the Living God, saved, sancti- 
fied and healed." She said, "Amen, brother, I am 
the only one in this wicked city standing on the 
promises of God ; come and go home with me. ' ' Cer- 
tainly that sounded good to me, a man one hundred 
and twenty-five miles from home, and a hungry, tired 
twelve-year-old boy, and just twenty cents and 
the sun an hour high. I carried the box back to the 
Jew's store, and he said, "Why don't you keep it 
and preach at 7 o'clock? You will get a big crowd 
then." I announced meeting for 7 o'clock, and we 
started with the old lady. She said, "I have to go 
to a house to get some things I left there; you wait 
here till I return. We said all right. She went and 
I felt it was a trick of the devil to get away, but she 
soon returned walking slow with her head down. She 
said, "I can not go home now." I said amen. She 
said, ' ' I went to that house and told them I had found 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 231 

some jewels down there on the street. They want 
you to come there and get supper. It is two miles 
to my house, just at the edge of the city. We would 
have to take street-car to get back for meeting. After 
meeting you will come to my house and stay all 
night.' ' 

We went to the house. There were several women 
sewing for a wholesale house. They shut down the 
machines and we had a good meeting. They all 
claimed to be sanctified. After supper we went on 
the street. They all went with us. There were sup- 
posed to be four hundred people there. We preached, 
and there was enough money handed to us to take 
us to the next town where we were going. We 
staid with the old lady. She knew Brother Warner 
and had attended the Grand Junction camp -meetings. 
She also told us of Brothers Davidson and Pike 
having been at that city. She said we believed just 
as they did. Her name was Mary Epley. 

Our next test we had about four miles to walk 
through sand, and it was hot. It was just at wheat 
thrashing time. We stopped to rest in the shade 
of some elder bushes. I sat there looking at Charley, 
his big white head and his red face. He was so hot 
and tired. He looked up at me and said, "Papa, I 
am going to ask God to take my name off of this 
walking ticket." And he never had to walk any 
more as long as he staid clear and traveled with me. 

We soon reached the end of our journey, and en- 



232 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

tered the meeting with the party we were looking 
for. We could see that at one time he had had power 
with God, for there were people there that testified 
to being healed of divers diseases. One woman that 
had been blind for fifteen years that he had prayed 
for and she was healed. There was one woman there 
that had been confined to her bed for two years, and 
he had prayed for her different times, but she was 
not healed. A number of us went there and prayed 
for her and she arose out of the bed, dressed herself 
and went to meeting, and we closed there because 
he said the people would not accept the Word. Then 
we went with that man and five other preachers forty 
miles and commenced a meeting on the streets and 
they opened a public schoolhouse for meeting. We 
had large crowds and a good interest, but the people 
had no faith in that man. He went into a trance 
and lay a long time. When he got up he told great 
things God had showed him. Soon there was a wo- 
man fell, and he invited the people to come up and 
see the power of God manifested. While the people 
crowded around the lifeless looking woman he told 
them what God had showed him that he was going 
to do to that town because they would not accept him. 
He said lightning would strike the place, so there 
came a thunder-storm and the lightning struck a hay- 
stack close to town, or in town, and it scared the 
people very much. I heard some talk about him, so 
I told him there were too many there, and the people 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 233 

did not want him there, and for him, Charley and me 
to go twenty-five miles away to his old home he had 
told me about to hold a meeting. After I told him 
what the people had said, he told them God had 
showed him in a vision he had that the people had 
said certain things and God told him to take Charley 
and me and go to another place, and told what God 
would do with them if they did not repent of the way 
they had talked about him. It seared some of the 
people, and one man took his wagon and team and 
hauled us twenty-five miles. 

We arrived at his brother-in-law's in the city where 
he had lived, and they treated us very coolly. The 
man had to go back home that night, and we drifted 
around till we heard of a meeting. He said that 
was the saints, so we walked to the place. Right at 
the edge of the city, in a dark house, were a few 
sloven, dirty people, some blind, some lame, all claim- 
ing to take God as their healer. (They were some 
of his followers, whom he called saints.) Meeting 
closed, they sat around and talked. He said his 
sister-in-law invited us back, but it was so far he 
did not feel like going. They never took the hint. 
Finally they all started, except the people that lived 
there, and we walked a mile with some of them, and 
he kept hinting, but no one asked us to stay all 
night. Finally he asked a woman if she would not 
keep us. She said she would if we would put up 
with the fare. When we arrived there we found 



234 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

they just had two beds, no one there but the old 
woman and us. She said her son would be there 
that night sometime, and it was about twelve then. 
She made a straw bed down on the floor for us. We 
laid down, and after we were asleep I was awakened 
by the fussing between the old woman and her son. 
He finally went to bed, and quarreled till he went 
to sleep. I then went to sleep, for I had traveled 
twenty-five miles in the jolt wagon from six in the 
morning till one or two o'clock in the afternoon, and 
you may know we drove fast. Part of the time the 
team was on a fast run. We had no supper and had 
walked several miles, and were very tired. I was 
awakened the next morning by the old woman trying 
to get the boy up to go to his work. After he left we 
got out and begged the preacher to leave the city. As 
he had no money we had to pay his way. 

We came to a town where we stopped to preach, 
and he said he never asked for a cent. As we went 
to preach on the streets he told us to give him our 
money, and he would tell them he had money to 
pay his way. We did not think, but gave it to him. 
After Charley had preached to a large crowd on the 
streets this man got up and began to tell what he 
had done, and the visions and revelations G-od had 
given him, and how God showed him in a vision that 
he was going to give him a son, and his name would 
be Samuel, and he would be a preacher, and in a 
year the child was born and now was a power for 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 235 

God. I knew his boy. He was a bad boy and did 
not seem to know there was a God. By this time 
the people began to leave. He told them he lived 
by faith, never took up collections, and God always 
supplied his needs, that he had money to take him 
where he was going, but said we did not. and they 
could help us if they wanted to. The people just 
laughed at him and went away and never gave a 
cent. 

We stopped at another town and preached, took 
up a collection, and he said he was going to preach 
that afternoon and he would not ask for a cent, but 
would get money. He preached and I watched close 
to see if he got anything. He tried to get away 
from me, but I kept my eye on him. There was a 
man shook hands with him, but I saw the man had 
nothing in his hand, so I knew no one gave him any- 
thing. "When we had reached the house where we 
stopped we talked for a while, but he never said 
anything about money. I said. '•Well, how much 
money did you get?'' He said. "I got money." 
I said. "I watched you, and you never got a cent.'' 
He showed a quarter, said he never had a cent. T 
asked him when he got it. and he said the man that 
shook hands with him gave it to him. I knew he 
told a falsehood. It was twenty-five cents he had 
kept out of my money. We arrived at our home and 
started a meeting, but God would not own nor bless, 
and he abused the people and tore down all that 
was done. 



236 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

We were called seven miles to hold a grove meet- 
ing. There was a large crowd, but God would not 
work. I got very sick. I would pray, but it would 
just appear to me that I was with the wrong man. 
I told the Lord if it was not his will we should stay 
together to call him away. In a few days he re- 
ceived a letter from his daughter, stating his wife 
could not turn herself in bed, and requesting him 
to come at once. There was a brother took us to an 
old German's named Casper Fink. I was very bad, 
and he sent for my wife and children. They found 
them all sick. They came, and Brother Fink started 
to the depot some miles away with the preacher. 
Before they got out of sight I was healed. I prayed 
for my children and they were healed. I began to 
have a meeting at the house. Next Sunday wife re- 
quested me to baptize her in Saline river. We drove 
three miles. She had a very high fever and 
could scarcely stand alone. She came out of the 
water clear of fever and got along well for a few 
days. We then moved to Marion, Ky. 

Wife took a backset and was very low for nine 
weeks, seemed to lose all faith. The persecutions 
were very hard. Charley and I had calls, but could 
not leave home. We received a very urgent call and 
I went to get a woman to wash and stay till we filled 
that call. Charley went with me. I told him his 
mother had lost faith and I believed she would die, 
and maybe she wanted a doctor, and I was going to 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 237 

ask her, and if she did I would get one. He cried 
and said, "Papa, let me talk to her before you tell 
her that." We came back to the house. I stood 
out of the house making arrangements for the lady 
to wash the next day. I could see them in the house. 
Wife was sitting on the bedside; Charley was on his 
knees crying and talking to her. I went out to the 
barn and prayed God to encourage her and send the 
child's pleading words to her heart and help her to 
get where she could trust God. When I went to the 
house it was dark. I read a chapter and we had 
prayer. While I was praying my wife fell on her 
knees by me and said, "Pray for me; I believe God 
will heal me now." After prayer she arose rejoic- 
ing. She looked to be in the worst stage of dropsy. 
Next morning the swelling was all gone and she 
was able to do her work. 

I then felt the burden of my heart to work for 
the salvation of souls, so I went around with differ- 
ent denominations for a while, but felt God had some 
better way. I went to fasting and praying for God 
to open the way. The Lord gave me a vision, showed 
me an old meeting-house in Livingston, Ky. This 
was after five days of fasting and prayer. I had no 
money and no horse or conveyance. I went to see 
an old man I used to work for and he let me have a 
horse to keep to ride. Now all preparation was made 
to start and I went up town and met a man and 
asked him about the meeting-house I was aiming to 



238 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

go to. He said it was converted into a barn. I 
did not understand that. I fasted and prayed two 
days and nights and God showed me the house again, 
and to believe God instead of man, so I went. When 
I was within ten miles of the place I fell in company 
with a man and asked him about the meeting-house. 
He said it was there and they had not had a meeting 
there for a long time and the people wanted a meet- 
ing. He told me of a meeting that was going on at 
the meeting-house four miles from there. I asked the 
preacher's name. He said Dick McConnell. I said, 
"He and I used to drink whisky together; I guess 
we could preach together." I went there that night. 
He was was glad to see me and wanted me to preach. 
I would not preach till the next night, then I 
preached to a large crowd. They had heard I was 
there and the people knew what I had been and 
they came there through curiosity. After preaching 
there was a number came to the altar. We staid 
with one man till 2 o'clock in the morning and he 
was converted. 

We were invited to a house for breakfast. There 
was a lady there that had been afflicted for seven 
years. She had been hurt in a cyclone. I asked her 
if she could not trust God for healing. She had 
been taught that healing had passed away. I said, 
' ' You get hold of God and see if the God that healed 
your soul can not heal your body." The Methodist 
preacher and I went out into the woods for secret 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 239 

prayer. I said, "I want you to agree with me that 
God will put it into that woman's heart to be healed, 
and if she is healed God will stir this country, and 
we will have one of the most powerful meetings ever 
held in this country." We went in prayer; I got 
the witness. We went to the house, she was sitting 
on the side of the bed. I said, "What do you 
think?" She fell on her knees and said, "I think 
the God that can heal my soul can heal my body." 
I called the Methodist preacher. He knelt on one 
side of the woman and I on the other. We prayed, 
and the power of God shook that woman like she 
had the ague. I said amen. The Methodist preacher 
hollowed, "Brown, she is healed." The woman 
jumped up, shouted, and her father and mother, 
brother and sister-in-law all shouted. She saw a 
crowd at the yard gate that had stopped to listen. 
She ran out there. Her old mother threw her arms 
around me and said, "Second Paul! second Paul!" 
I said, "No, it was God did it, not I." 

That little preacher hugged me and screamed like 
a drunk man all the way to meeting. There was a 
crowd at the meeting-house and they commenced 
shouting— Methodist like— and they did not know 
what they were rejoicing about. We had not got 
settled down in meeting till the woman that was 
healed came walking in, and such crying, shouting, 
and hollowing! One fellow looked at them, jumped 
and shouted a while. He ran up to me, grabbed my 



240 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

hand and said, "I am a Campbellite, but I am going 
to shout. ' ' I said, ' ' All right, shout. ' ' Another man 
ran and took me by the hand, and he was crying 
and looked comical. He said, "lam going to shout, 
too. ' ' I said all right, then he began to shout. There 
was an old fellow standing there; he took me by the 
hand and said, "Shake hands on that." I said, 
"Is he a Campbellite, too?" He said he didn't 
know whether he was a Campbellite, or what— he 
didn't know, but he was the ugliest man God ever 
made. I fell on my knees and rebuked the devil. 

I was called to go in company with the Methodist 
preacher to pray for a woman that was going on 
crutches. We arrived at the place. She sat in the cor- 
ner. We ate dinner and went into the room where she 
was and sat down by the fire, as it was a cool day. I 
began to talk to her. The Methodist preacher went 
to sleep. I had got the old lady's faith to about the 
highest pitch and I began to talk loud and he woke 
up and began to talk church to her. I said, "No time 
for that, this woman needs healing. Let us pray 
for her. ' ' We knelt, and as I said amen she arose and 
ran back across the room and hugged her old man. 
I picked her crutches up from behind the blind and 
asked her if she wanted her crutches. She shouted 
and jumped and said no. The preacher looked at 
me and said, "Could she not walk?" I said no, and 
she and her old man said no. The preacher threw 
up his hands and shouted halleluiah, and ran right 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 241 

backwards into the fire. They had not told him she 
could not walk, and he was not acquainted, as he had 
just come on that circuit. As we left on our way back 
to meeting he said, " Brown, you are right. We 
must preach the whole gospel. My wife cautioned 
me to not follow you off. I told her I was not follow- 
ing Brown, I was following God, and Brown was 
preaching the Bible.' ' But the conference soon 
called him down, and the poor fellow let God go to 
obey man. There were a number of healings there, 
and such an interest got up I felt I was not able 
to do what was to be done. I went off in the woods 
and told God the responsibility was too great, and 
asked him to send me a certain man, a preacher, and 
to start him right then. In two days he was there, 
and told the time God moved on him to come and 
he dismissed his meeting and came. It was the hour 
I prayed. We had some wonderful meetings; the 
lame walked, the blind saw, the deaf heard, but the 
devil had got the poor man under deception and he 
was just in the way. We staid together nearly a 
year and God separated us and he went down. He 
once was the most powerful man with God I ever 
saw, but he got under that man's spirit I told about 
previously. 

After this Charley and I traveled alone. No one 
believed as we did, and we tried to fellowship every- 
body that claimed to be saved, but it would not work, 
for God alone can make fellowship; man can not 



242 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

make it. We had a shadow of the body of Christ 
and loved everybody, but did not, nor would not 
compromise. As fast as God gave the light we 
walked in it. I went to Carrsville, Ky. and held a 
meeting. The brother I spoke of met me there. Yancy 
Rice and I went to town together. We put our horses 
at a supposed friend's, and after meeting we went 
there, as we had no place to stay. The man was 
asleep and we called him and asked him to unlock 
his stable and let us get our horses. He did. As we 
were catching our horses I said, ''The people don't 
want meeting here much." He said they had too 
much meeting. We went a mile and a half out to 
stay all night. I thought I would not go back, but 
shake my dust. I prayed that night and God showed 
me to go back. I went, and there were homes opened 
up. I was called out in the country seven miles to 
pray for a blind man named J. H. May. His eyes 
were healed instantly. I went back to the meeting- 
house and it was crowded with people. I told the 
people what had happened. There was a man went 
out there that night to see if it was so. He came 
back and said he could see, but he did not believe 
Brown healed him. We had a good meeting ; twenty- 
five souls were converted, and the donation was $30.00. 
The man's family who was working with me lived 
one hundred miles away, and my family lived within 
twenty miles. The people told me to let the man 
have the money to send to his family and they would 



FIRST GOSPEL LABORS. 243 

make me up provisions. I hated to say anything. 
They kept asking if we ate such and such things. 
I said, "We can eat corn-bread, bacon, potatoes, hog 
jaw, turnip greens, or a good fat 'possum, or anything 
you have to bring." The lady got offended where I 
staid and said my family had to have as good as that 
town could afford. As yet I had gotten nothing. I was 
on my way home, my rent was due, and I asked God 
to give me money to pay my rent. I was called in 
to pray for an old lady who had not walked without 
crutches for seven years. She was healed instantly 
and walked. They gave me $6.00, just what I had 
asked God for not more than twenty minutes be- 
fore. Praise God for his goodness to the children 
of men! I always have found him true. 



CHAPTER X. 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 

At Paducah, Ky. — Miracles of Healing.— Meehanicsburg. — 
Newspaper Eeports.— Called to Metropolis, 111.— Healings 
Continue. — Tent Meetings. — Burned by Gasoline Lamp.— 
Loses Voice. — Kosiclare, 111.— Afflicted with Itch. — Youngest 
Boy Very Sick.— God Heals.— Smallpox.— Young Lady 
Falls Dead in Meeting.— Called to Epidemic District.— 
Death of Tal Merritt. — Eeceives Money to Pay Store Bill. — 
Persecutions. — A Book Agent.— Charley Goes to School 
and Joins the Methodists, but is Prayed Out.— Family 
Needs.— Baptist Preacher Wants Miracle Performed.— 
Eosetta Brown. — Mob Gathers. — Newspaper Libel. 

After this man and I had parted I asked Grod to 
open up great fields for us, and I was shown by 
the Lord to go to Paducah, Ky. Charley and I were 
traveling in a buggy. We started. We just had 
two coppers. We went through the country where 
we had had such good meetings, expected to preach 
Saturday and Sunday and Sunday night and get 
means to go on our trip and leave our horse and buggy 
at my cousin's, M. E. Eadcliffe's, near Hampton, Ky. 
But the weather was rainy and the crowd small, and 
they did not give us a cent. Monday morning came 
and I had a test of faith, but felt led to start, so my 
cousin said he would send a boy with us to Smith- 
land, Ky. to bring our horse and buggy back, and he 
245 



246 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

would keep them for us. We were expecting to stay 
all night at Smithland and go on boat from there to 
Paducah. Yancy Rice was there. He opened the 
gate for us, and as he shook hands with us he gave 
me $1.00, saying we might need it. I praised God, 
for I knew we needed it. When we arrived at the 
Cumberland river at Smithland the boy took the horse 
and buggy back and a man took us across the river 
in a skiff and did not charge us a cent. We staid all 
night in town with a friend and it did not cost us any- 
thing. Then after breakfast the boat landed, we went 
aboard and the boat pushed out. We asked the 
fare to Paducah and the clerk said fifty cents. Well, 
we just had $1.02, so we arrived in Paducah with 
two cents. 

We put up at the hotel by faith and hired a thea-. 
ter building from the U. B. sect and had our meet- 
ing announced in the Paducah News. There was * 
small crowd the first night. I preached, and after- 
preaching announced meeting the next day at 3 
o'clock, that I would preach on Divine Healing and 
pray for those who wanted prayer for healing. I 
said, "I don't know why God has sent me here; I 
am here to be used to his glory." A lady named 
Lizzie V. Williams rose up and said, "Why, God 
sent you here. I saw a clipping in the Peducah Newi 
telling about you praying for some woman that had 
to walk on crutches and she was healed, and I prayed 
for God to send you here, and he has. I am afflicted 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 247 

with goiter, my son is deaf, and my husband is para- 
lyzed, and I know God can heal us. I met a man 
twenty years ago in this faith, ' ' she said, ' ' but he has 
fallen, but God is just the same. I want you to 
pray for me and my boy right now." We prayed 
and the boy's ears were opened instantly and her 
goiter was healed. 

Then a woman came and asked me to go to her 
house and pray for her son. He was very low. 
When we arrived we found they were Jews. I said, 
"Do you believe Jesus Christ was the Son of God?" 
He said, "Oh, I will just believe anything to get 
well!" I turned to his father and asked him what 
he thought about Jesus. He said he was a good 
man, so the boy was not healed, but soon died. 

We went next day and prayed for the old man 
whose brain and body was partially paralyzed, and 
he was healed. We were called to pray for a number 
of others. There was a doctor fell in company with 
us and went with us several places, then invited us 
to go with him to his daughter's for supper. So we 
did, and as we went on he went in a grocery-store 
and introduced us to the proprietor. James Matti- 
son was his name. He was grayheaded, and did not 
pay much attention to us. We went on and his wife 
was standing in the yard looking at some flowers. 
The doctor called her to the yard fence and told her 
he wanted to introduce her to the divine healers. 
He said, "I have been with them this afternoon and 



248 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

saw them heal a number of people." I said, "God 
healed them." She was almost dead, was just a 
skeleton, but became interested and promised to 
come out and hear us preach, which she did. She 
found out she just belonged to the Baptist sect and 
had no salvation. Her husband, Mr. Mattison, was 
an infidel and had paid out several hundred dollars 
for medicine for her, which failed to do her any 
good. She had been treated by three specialists of 
Chicago and the prominent doctors of Paducah, and 
now was under treatment by a prominent doctor of 
Louisville, Ky., and he had told them the last remedy 
was to travel, which they were fixing to do. 

She had been an invalid for fourteen years, but she 
began to pray and got right with God, then came 
back to the meeting. She took a seat in the meeting, 
and there was a large crowd. She said to the lady 
sitting by her, "lam dying ; I must go home. ' ' She 
went to get up on her feet and could not. She said 
she decided she might as well die there as anywhere, 
so she kept her seat, but after preaching she made 
out to get to the altar, where about one hundred and 
twenty-five people went for prayer. After we prayed 
for her she arose, shouted and started for home. It 
was all of three-fourths of a mile, and she never 
waited for a street-car, but went on foot and ran 
into the store to her husband and said, "Jimmie 
Mattison, I am healed." He said, "You are?" She 
said yes. She then threw off her hat and ran to her 



IN^TO LARGE& FIELDS. 249 

neighbor's and told them, ran across the street to 
another neighbor, and James Mattison told me that 
he fell on his knees, and looking out of the window 
at her, he knew that it was God that healed her 
and conviction struck his heart. When she came 
in the store he said, ' ' Jennie, how do you feel now ? ' ' 
She said, "I am well; I am going to get supper," 
something she had not been able to do for years. 
He said, "Well, I must get ready and go to church.' ' 
She said she had lived with him thirty years and 
never heard him say that before. They came to 
church that night and sat about five benches from 
the altar. After meeting she came to me crying and 
asked me to go and talk to her husband, that this 
was the first time he had been to meeting for thirty 
years. I said, "Let him alone; God has got hold of 
him." Pretty soon he came and shook hands with 
me and left $1.00 in my hand, and said right low, 
1 ' God bless, God bless you, Brother Brown ! you have 
done me more good than anybody I ever saw." So 
he kept coming and would catch a chance and shake 
hands with me and leave a dollar in my hand every 
time, and ask God to bless me. In a few days he 
was wonderfully converted and took an active part 
in prayer-meetings for two years. As he was well- 
known in the city God used him to do more good in 
the two years than the pastors of the forty-six meet- 
ing-houses in that city. The last time I saw him 
he told me good-by and said, "If I never see you on 



250 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

earth I hope to meet you in heaven." In two weeks 
his wife said he was in the garden at work and came 
running in and said, ' ' I have got to write to Brother 
Brown," and began to write, but could not dictate 
his letter. His wife helped him. He went to bed 
sick, just lived a few days, died happy, and went to 
glory to tell what God can do for infidels. 

Now, as we told you in the beginning, we commen- 
ced with faith and two cents in money. The way 
was soon opened up where we had a home, a place 
to eat and sleep, and the Lord just gave enough 
money to pay the rent on the building, and we had 
calls all over the city to pray for people. We had 
to walk. The people that sent for us were poor and 
could not give us anything. 

A little girl asked me to go pray for her mamma, 
who had not walked for four years and could not 
use her right hand. We went, found her in bed, and 
some neighbors were present. They seemed to not 
have any use for us. She had two girls that worked 
to pay the house-rent and make the living. We 
prayed for her and she arose out of bed, clapping her 
hands above her head, and walked out on the porch 
shouting. Those women actually looked like they 
would faint. They had known the condition of the 
woman for four years. The newspaper reporter fol- 
lowed us, and this old lady signed her testimony with 
her once paralyzed hand, and those women also gave 
a statement that it was true. 



INTO liAEGER FIELDS. 251 

Now I had left my family in a rented house and 
arrangements that the rent was to be paid in ad- 
vance or move. They also were getting provisions at 
a grocery-store, and were to pay up every month. 
They wrote me the rent was due and the grocery bill 
was due and they had no money. I had walked 
on the pavement till my feet were blistered. It was 
spring of the year and I had on winter clothes and 
was broke out with heat, and no money to get clothes 
or pay house-rent or grocery bill. I fell on my knees 
before God and asked him why it was I had to suffer 
and my family be throwed out on the streets, and 
without food, and he bad promised to feed and clothe 
me and my family. He was answering my prayer 
to heal, and God showed me I was trying to hold 
up the other brother, keeping his family, and he 
ought to care for his own family. He had then been 
gone seven weeks and God showed me where he was 
and I wrote to him and told him I could not care 
for his family any longer. Before the letter left 
the office there was money handed me. When I went 
to mail the letter there were some little children at 
the post-office begging. I divided my little mite with 
them. As I came from the office a blind man stood 
on the corner begging. I divided with him, and it 
was just a few days till my donations amounted to 
$15.00 a day. 

One day while I preached in the theater building 
I saw two colored women working their way up the 



252 FROM iNFiDELTTY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

isle. By the time I closed the sermon they were at 
the edge of the altar. I said, "If any one wants 
prayer for healing, come to the altar." They sat 
down. They just blocked the altar. As the colored 
people had just a few weeks before made a raid in 
the city against the whites, the prejudice was very 
high, so no one else would come to the altar. I 
talked with them and told them to kneel and we 
would pray for them. One named Mary McClellan, 
who lived at Metropolis, 111., said: "0 Lord, massa, 
I have not knelt in twelve years ! what I want you 
to pray for me, so I could kneel." I said, "All right, 
you bow your head, and we will kneel and ask God 
to heal you." Charley and I prayed for them. She 
began to shout and jumped up, and would kneel first 
on one knee and then on the other, then both knees, 
and began to shake hands, and as she came to the 
lady that was pastor of the U. B. (we had meeting 
in that building) she took her by the hand, and the 
white woman turned her head away. But the old 
colored sister shouted aloud and said, "God bless 
you, sister; it is not the face God wants, but the 
heart. ' ' 

Just then a man hollowed aloud in the back of the 
building and I looked and he was coming toward me. 
He grabbed me by the hand and said: "Brother, 
I am pastor of the Northern Methodist church up in 
town; come up there and preach, and the house and 
lights will not cost you anything, and we will feed 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 253 

you, too." So we went. The paper published our 
meetings and the healings and it went all over the 
world, and people came for three hundred miles. 
One lady that did not walk for eleven years was 
carried to the altar and walked away. A number of 
cases too numerous to mention. However, a reporter 
that attended the meeting said fifty thousand differ- 
ent people attended the meeting, over one thousand 
and three hundred prayed for, over eight hundred 
healed, and over fifty conversions, and some of the 
most wicked infidels, gamblers and drunkards. One 
day there were over one hundred came to the altar 
for healing. 

One little girl was tongue-tied, her limbs twisted 
and her face drawn. They said she had been this 
way from the time she was three years old. We 
prayed for her and she was healed instantly. It 
raised quite an excitement. 

One man that was paralyzed in the lower limbs 
for six years, was brought to the altar. He had been 
to Dowie, and I had prayed for him ten days before 
and he got no relief. I told him he need not come back 
till he was willing to throw down his profession and 
give his heart to God, so he now said he was ready. 
We prayed and he arose and walked. He was saved 
and threw away his tobacco. In a few weeks he was 
hoeing in the garden and said to a man to give him 
a chew of tobacco to see how it tasted, and as he shut 
down on it with his teeth he said the paralytic stroke 



254 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

ran over him and they had to help him to the house. 
I heard him testify to this. 

There was a little boy six years old brought there 
by a little girl. When I questioned them about his 
parents they would cry and said his father was a 
boatman and his mother had to stay with the children. 
I asked him if he ever saw light. He said no. I said, 
"If we pray for you, do you believe God will open 
your eyes?" He said, "Yes, sir." They were now 
rejoicing over the paralyzed man being healed. T 
said, "Here is some one's child that is blind. He 
said he believed God would heal him. I don't know 
him, some of you people may, he said he lived close — 
no matter. I believe he is sent here to stall the 
Lord. I want every blood-washed saint of God that 
believes God will heal this child for his glory, re- 
gardless the opinion of his parents, to come to the 
altar and pray with me. You that don't believe it, 
stay out; I don't want any unbelief at the altar." 
There were a number knelt with us. We began to 
pray, and the power of God fell. That child shook 
like a leaf. I got the witness he was healed. I said 
amen, and raised him to his feet and asked him if 
he could see light. He said, "Yes, sir." "Can you 
see the people?" He said he could. A woman held 
her hand before him and said, "What is that?" He 
said, "Your hand." They sent him across the altar 
to get a fan, pointing him to it, and the shout began. 

As the shout ceased over him being healed I 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 255 

heard a child hollowing back in the crowd, and it 
was the little deformed girl we spoke of a while back. 
She had her hand over her eyes, and said, "Oh, I 
see out of my blind eye." She had just discovered 
it when she saw the blind boy was healed. We soon 
dismissed this service and this little boy and his play- 
mate started, and he went a skipping and playing 
along. They came to a crowd of men and I saw them 
examining him, and the child ran on down the street. 
A man started after them. Some one said, "That is 
that boy's father." The boy came back the next day 
with a pair of specks on. I said, "What are you doing 
with those specks on?" He said, "The doctor said 
I had better wear them to strengthen my eyes." 
I said, "Pull them off and tell the doctor and the 
devil to take them; the Lord will strengthen your 
eyes." He pulled them off. The father and mother 
never did come or make themselves known to me, 
but I was told by a Methodist preacher that a party 
saw an account in the paper, and the address of the 
parents, and they wrote to them and asked them if 
it was so, and they wrote and told them it was just 
as the paper stated. 

I feel led to speak of another case of healing 
that happened in this meeting. There was a 
nurse who came after me to see a lady that had 
been under the care of the doctor for three years 
and had just gone through a severe operation. I 
went, she talked reasonably. I had prayer with her, 



256 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

but did not pray for her healing, but asked God to 
show her it was his will to heal her, and to give her 
faith to turn man loose and to trust God. She sent 
after me next day and I went. She said she had 
rested well all night and had not taken a dose of 
medicine since I was there. I had asked God to give 
her a good night's rest as a witness he would heal 
her, so as she lay there with a lot of pillows between 
her knees, and had not turned in bed since the opera- 
tion was performed some days before, she said she 
had decided not to take another dose of medicine, 
and made the nurse say she would not give her any, 
and said if I would pray for her God would heal 
her. I prayed for her and anointed her in the name 
of Jesus, and she made a leap and the pillows and 
pads flew across the house, and she shouted all over 
the room and said she was healed. 

She got along fine for several days, till the re- 
porter visited her and put her testimony in the paper, 
then the doctor came. She met him rejoicing, but 
the doctor scolded her and told her to go in quick, 
that she was killing herself, and he made her lie 
down and he portioned out a dose of medicine and 
ordered the nurse to give it. She said, "No, doctor; 
I told her I would never give her another dose of 
medicine, and I will not do it." She had been nurse 
for this doctor for years. He said, "If you do not 
give it, I will not give you employment any more." 
She said she did not want employment from him, 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 257 

and he gave the medicine himself. He borrowed 
$500.00 from the woman and told her he would give 
a note in a few days. He got another nurse and 
came back in two days and gave another round of 
medicine. By this time the woman was very low. 
He told her she was too weak to attend to the busi- 
ness, he would fix it when she got able. The next 
day she died. Her boys went to him for the note 
and he said they owed him $300.00 more. He then 
published me in the paper and said I killed the 
woman. The nurse had told me all about this mat- 
ter, and the night after it came out in the paper I 
told from the pulpit what he did, and they said he 
was there, so that was the last public fight he gave 
me. Now there were many instances I could give in 
that meeting, but it would make a considerable book ; 
however, I will tell one more case. 

A woman was healed and left her crutches. Her 
man came with an officer after her crutches and said 
she was worse than ever. They lived up the Ten- 
nessee river. A short time after, probably three 
months, Charley and I held a meeting in that 
country. As we left we came to the Tennessee river 
to cross. The wind was high and it was raining, and 
we went into a store boat to wait for the wind to 
lay. There was the woman and her man. She was 
well and walked all right. They looked bad, I never 
let on I knew them. We took dinner with them. 
After dinner I said, "Well, sister, how do you get 



258 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

along since you were healed. ' ' She said all right, and 
the man put in and said she had been worse than 
ever. She just hung her head. He said you can 
not guess what healed her. He said a tramp gave 
him a remedy and it just cured her. It was polk 
root berries and whisky. She left the room. The 
neighbors said she never had anything wrong with 
her since she was healed. He just told what he did 
to get the crutches. 

Now, as I have told you, there were thousands of 
people attended these meetings, and hundreds were 
being healed; the blind made to see, the deaf to 
hear, the lame to walk and the dumb to speak, and 
the donation was $15.00 a day. We would preach at 
10 o'clock in the forenoon, at 3 o'clock in the after- 
noon and have healing services, then at 7:30 in the 
evening and have altar services. After altar services 
we would begin to pray for the afflicted and would 
be called out doors to pray for people out in the 
buggies that could not get in for the crowd. At 12 
o'clock at night we would slip off and go to our room 
and rest and sleep some, and pray for God to keep 
self out of the way and keep us humble. We would 
not let any one in our room till 9 o'clock in the 
morning, and when we opened the door there was 
generally some one waiting for us to pray for them. 

Now we will give a copy of the report we got out 
of the Paducah News, similar to what was in the 
paper every day, as a reporter attended every meet- 
ing and kept an account of the meeting. 




W. M. BROWN AND SON CHARLES. 



"PRAYERS GO UP FROM PALE LIPS. 

' ' Like Ponce de Leon, Many Seek the Fount of 
Health and Strength. 



"Scenes Among Divine Healers. 



"One Long Procession of Pain and Affliction Now Passes 

Into Mechanicsburg. — Browns' Cures 

Seem as Miracles." 



"From many neighboring towns are coming crip- 
ples, invalids and blind persons to join the afflicted 
ones who daily flock to the meetings conducted by 
the divine healers, Rev. Willis M. Brown and his 
thirteen-year-old son, Charles E. Brown, of Marion, 
Ky., at the northern M. E. church, in Mechanics- 
burg. 

1 ' Huge crowds heard and saw the healers yesterday 
afternoon and last night. Time and again did the 
father declare that he and his son claimed no super- 
natural powers, but that the Almighty, using them 
as his instruments through faith, could cure the halt 
and lame and suffering. Then the boy would pray 
and recite passages from the book of St. James and 
anoint the victims of bodily misfortune, who crowded 
thick anci fast about the altar. 
209 



260 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

"The scene last night was a strange weird one. 
The flickering kerosene lamps cast a pale yellowish 
glow over the walls of the plain little structure and 
lighted up row after row of half-frightened, half- 
mystified faces. Pleas, supplications and snatches of 
Scriptural quotations arose from all parts of the 
church. Beside the pulpit stood the boy preacher, 
his features warmed and brightened by religious 
fervor. Around him were old men, pale young 
women, sightless children, and tottering cripples, all 
hoping and fearing for the magic touch, which they 
prayed might make them whole. The father, worn 
out by the long sermon, stood alongside the little 
lad. No one scoffed. No one laughed. The solemnity 
of the scene laid hold on every heart in that assem- 
blage and locked every mouth to words of levity." 

"STILL THE MEETINGS GO ON. 



"The Divine Healers." 



"Tuesday's Paducah News devotes a half column 
to Rev. Willis Brown and son, the divine healers, 
and we clip the following from the article : 

" ' It is no exaggeration to say that 50,000 or more 
heard the Browns during their stay in the city. 
The bulk of these were citizens of Paducah and Mc- 
Cracken Counties, but great numbers afflicted by 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 261 

disease or accident came from all parts of west Ken- 
tucky, west Tennessee, southern Illinois, and from 
points more remote. The strangers were drawn by 
the publicity given the seemingly marvelous cures 
that the Browns effected. Of those anointed by the 
faith curists, nine-tenths declared themselves entire- 
ly or partially benefited by the strange methods of 
salvation for the suffering cripples, and those who 
had hobbled on helpless limbs for a decade arose and 
walked. Children who had been blind from birth 
cried out they saw a glimmer of light before their 
sightless eyeballs. Old men and women shook off the 
fetters of rheumatism and walked away, praising the 
name of the Almighty. Marvelous scenes and doings 
were these; but they are substantiated by dozens of 
disinterested eye-witnesses. 

" 'Figures show that over 1,000 asked for prayers, 
above 800 freely declared themselves benefited, and 
half as many more left their crutches as a legacy 
of thanksgiving to the man and the lad whom they 
now swear saved them from years of misery and 
discomfort.' " 

Now there was a man came from Metropolis, 111. 
and had a petition signed by a number of people, who 
said they were afflicted and requested me to go there 
and hold a meeting and pray for them. I said 1 
could not go and leave the meeting. He went back, 
and in a few days he came again. There were a 
great many there at the meeting and a brother that 



262 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

we prayed for. After meeting was dismissed they 
called me out doors to pray for some parties that 
were out in buggies that could not get in the house 
on account of the crowd. This man followed me, and 
a great many handed me money, as I have told you 
the donation amounted to $15.00 a day. He called 
me to one side and asked me if I could go. He said 
they still wanted me. I said, "You see the interest 
here, and people coming for hundreds of miles." 
He said, "Yes, I see you have a nice thing of it 
here, and are getting a good deal of money. I have 
no religion, do not profess any, but I understand 
that God calls preachers to preach to the poor as well 
as the rich. Now these people down at our town are 
poor and have not got money to come here, and are 
not able to pay you anything. I can not promise you 
anything but your expenses. I will pay them." 

I said, ' ' I will go, " so I dismissed the meeting and 
went. There was where I believe I made a mistake, 
for if I had kept on I believe there would have been 
a work established and God would have given me 
means to have paid every debt I owed, but I was 
afraid I would get my eyes on money and lose sight 
of Jesus. There was a man took my boy and me and 
a bundle of crutches to a boat, and as the boat would 
not leave for an hour he said to go to his house and 
get dinner and he and his wife would go with us to 
Metropolis, 111. So we drove up the street and a man 
ran out of the house and called for me to come in. 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 263 

The man said we did not have time. He said, "Yes 
he has time; my child is dying. " We ran into the 
house and the child was lying on Mother Walton's 
lap. She was the child's grandma, also the matron 
of the Home of the Friendless at Paducah. It was 
taking its last breath and she said it was gone. I said, 
"lam impressed if you will all fall upon your knees 
before God and give him your heart he will raise 
this child up. The father and uncle of the child were 
not saved, the grandmother and mother were, or at 
least I thought they were saved. We prayed for God 
to raise the child and prove his power. I got the 
witness and said amen. The grandma said, "0 
Brother Brown, he is looking in my face and laugh- 
ing." She raised it up and it ate hearty. It had 
not eaten anything for some days. We went and ate 
our dinner, and as we came back the man came out 
of the house, and the man that was with me 
said, "How is your child?" He said, "He is dead. 
It is not your fault, Brother Brown, or God's fault. 
It is my fault ; I broke my covenant with God. The 
devil made me think it would have lived anyway 
without me giving my heart to God, and I decided 
not to be a Christian, and the child laid down and 
was dead in a little bit. ' ' The child was buried that 
afternoon, and he was saved that night. After that 
I held meetings in that city and heard him tell to 
thousands of people at different times that God took 
the child for his salvation; that if he -had kept his 



264 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

covenant he made with God when God brought the 
child to life he would have let the child live. 

Well, we went on to Metropolis, 111. and preached 
in the court-house to a crowded house, and there were 
about one hundred or more came up for prayer for 
healing. There were almost all kinds of cripples and 
diseases that the human family was subject to. All 
the space inside of the railing around the judge's 
stand was full, and I instructed them that as I re- 
buked the defect, whatever it was, to arise in the 
name of Jesus and walk out. I said, "If you are 
blind, expect to see; if lame, expect to walk; if deaf, 
expect to hear; matters not what the ailment is, be- 
lieve God heals when we pray and just rise with 
perfect faith in God." I prayed for five and they 
rose and walked out. The people were laughing all 
over the house. I was impressed that there was not 
much if anything the matter with those. I came to 
a woman, and as I rebuked her defects and anointed 
her she arose, clapping her hands above her head. 
The scene changed, the people began to cry and shout 
and hollow all over the house, and when I came to 
find out, she had been paralyzed in one side for two 
years, and had not been able to dress herself. She 
belonged to the Baptist sect and had signed a peti- 
tion for me to come there, and the Baptist preachers 
had gone and talked to her about it and asked her if 
she thought that man could heal her. She said no; 
but she believed he was a man of God, and that if she 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 265 

touched his clothes God would heal her. He said, 
"Do you believe that?" She said, "Do you believe 
the sun will rise in the morning ?" He said yes. 
She said she believed just the same way if that man 
prayed for her God would heal her. They were 
watching her and saw her throw up her paralyzed 
hand, and God moved on the whole congregation. 
Her name is Mrs. Nannie Roby. She is keeping 
hotel now in Metropolis, 111., so I am informed by 
those that know her. 

There was a yellow woman prayed for, who was 
drawn crooked and carried to the altar on a chair, 
When we prayed she jumped up and shouted and 
would kneel and rise and jump. Soon she ran to me 
and fell on her knees by me and said to pray for her 
again, that she had not knelt or walked for eighteen 
years and she was afraid it would come back on 
her. I prayed for her and she arose and shouted. 
I went on praying for others. She came to me a 
number of times during the prayer services and had 
me to pray for her so she would keep her healing. 
Well, a number were healed, and the city was stirred. 
The next day they flocked to us all day. While at 
supper there were a number of people came to be 
prayed for. The streets were full of people and some 
preachers. There was a man brought into the room 
while I was eating supper who wanted me to pray 
for him at once. I got up from the table and went 
into the room where he was. He seemed to be startled 



266 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and would not talk to me, but just looked with a 
frightful gaze at me. I prayed for him. I had ter- 
rible feelings and he just fell as though he was dead, 
and no one knew what was the matter. They carried 
him out on the porch. He looked to be dead and I 
went and laid hands on him and said in secret, "0 
God, raise this man up and take him away from here ; 
don't let him die here and bring reproach upon the 
cause." He was a cripple. He rose, running, hop- 
ping and falling toward his buggy. Those that 
brought him put him in the buggy and started away. 
They drove about thirty yards and he fainted. They 
stopped and I went to the buggy and prayed again. 
He came to and motioned for them to drive on. 
Later he sent me word if he could see me now he 
could be healed, that he thought I was a man he had 
said he would kill if he ever saw him again, and he 
said when I first went to praying for him he was 
trying to get his knife to cut my throat, and God 
struck him down. 

I left there, the people begging me to stay, and 
people coming for miles. I had promised to go to a 
Methodist camp -meeting, and did, and have felt I 
made a mistake in leaving Paducah and Metropolis; 
for when I went back, the devil, the doctors, and 
sect preachers, had the people turned against what 
little truth I did know to teach, and I never had such 
interest any more. 

The Methodist meeting was attended by scores of 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 267 

people. W. W. Hopper, a Methodist preacher from 
Meridian, Miss., was there. He met me and wanted 
to hear me preach. He wanted to learn something 
about healing. I said, "Open the way, and I will 
preach. ' ' He went and saw J. J. Smith, the preacher 
in charge of the meeting. He said he would turn the 
pulpit over to him, and he could do as he pleased, 
so Hopper said I could preach. We were at his 
room talking when it came time for meeting. He 
said for me to start the meeting, he would be there 
soon. So I went and asked Brother Smith to go 
ahead with the praise meeting, Hopper would soon 
be there. He said, "It is yours and Hopper's meeting, 
I have nothing to do with it." I was young in the 
cause then and I thought that would ruin the ser- 
vices if Smith did not commence it, so I begged him 
and told him the people would not know what to 
think if he sat back and I got up to lead the meeting, 
as he always did lead. He said, "You and Hopper 
go ahead." 

I began the testimony meeting, Hopper came and I 
asked him if he had anything to say. He said he 
just wanted to say a few words before or after I 
preached. I said, "You talk first." He could see 
how I was treated. He said, "You all know Brother 
Brown. I learn he has lived in this country for 
some time, been a drunkard and a wreck. God has 
picked him up and recognized him and is using him, 
can you recognize him?" He said a good deal, then 



268 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

sat down. I got up and took the text, "Who hath 
believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the 
Lord revealed?" Isa. 53:1. I preached two hours 
or longer, and said, "All that want to be converted 
take the seat on the left; all that want to be sancti- 
fied take the seat on the right; all that want to be 
healed take the seat in front. ' ' Quite a number came 
to the altar. I said, "You that know you are con- 
verted talk to these that want salvation. You that 
know you are sanctified talk to these at this bench 
that want to be sanctified, and the Lord and I will 
take the other bench." I meant the one where they 
wanted to be healed. There was a man named J. R 
Martin at the bench, who said he was deaf in one 
ear and had the other ear injured eighteen years 
ago, and could hardly hear loud talking. I prayed 
for him, he arose shouting, said he could hear the 
babies cry and could hear as good as ever in life. 
He was seventy-six years old and said he had been 
a Methodist for sixty years. 

There was a child brought to the altar with a weak 
back. A brace was buckled on its back. It had a 
head rest strapped around the head to hold the head 
up. I told them to take the brace off of it and pile 
it up on a bench. I told the father and mother to get 
down before God. I asked the child if it believed 
when I prayed God would heal it. It said yes it did. 
I said, "When I say amen will you jump down and 
run?" It said, "Yes, sir." I prayed, and when I 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 269 

said aomen the child jumped off the bench and ran 
through the crowd. The people ran back like a 
mad dog had been turned loose. The father and 
mother said it had not walked since it was three 
years old, and I think it was seven at this time. 

Hopper jumped high and hollowed loud and said, 
"You see how God works when his full gospel is 
preached.' ' He asked me if I had any oil. I told 
him I did, and he asked for some and said, "I am 
going to preach this in spite of sects, conferences, 
men on earth, or devils in hell." I handed him a 
bottle of oil in the presence of two or three thousand 
people. Some months later he was at the town where 
I lived. The Methodists would not let him preach in 
the house, and the people that wanted him got the 
opera building. He had a good meeting and a num- 
ber were healed. He was back a year later, had given 
up the faith, they let him have the Methodist house, 
he preached three weeks and did no good, and never 
had many in attendance. Conference had drawn 
down on him and he gave up God and his Word 
before he would give up his conference and sect. He 
was sick and taking medicine the last time he was 
there, and the Methodists liked him then, and he could 
have the house. Well, I do know God gave the people 
light in that camp-meeting, preachers and all, and 
they did not walk in it, and they went into darkness. 
There were a number of other things happened there 
in that meeting I could tell, but I feel this is enough. 



270 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Now Charley started to school. I went to holding 
tent meetings. I set up my tent at a place, though 
there were but two or three in favor of the meet- 
ing. The first night I went to light the gasoline 
lamp. It was dark and I turned on too much gas 
and when I struck the match the fire ran all over 
my hands and went down in the straw and blazed 
three feet above the lamp. I succeeded in putting it 
out, but my hands were burned very bad. The flesh 
on the inside of one hand was cooked. I got the 
lamps lit and was suffering terribly. I went out in 
the woods and got down to pray, but kept watching 
the tent, for they had said they would cut it down. 
I saw the people coming in. I started to the tent, 
but I was in such pain it seemed my jaws would lock. 
I just went on my face and trusted tent and self 
over to God and asked God to heal me as a witness 
he wanted me there. I was healed instantly of the 
pain. My hands were a clear blister only where the 
flesh was cooked. I preached, and as I would slap my 
hands the blisters would burst and the water fly out 
of them. I went home with a sinner that night 
and he told me he saw me get burned. He said he 
thought the tent would burn up, as the straw was 
a foot deep all over the tent. He said while he watched 
me he could not see how I put it out. He was a 
stock dealer and told it all over the country and it 
advertised the meeting for miles. We had a wonder- 
ful meeting. 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 271 

Charley took sick, as he did every time he started 
to school. He was very bad, lost his mind. The peo- 
ple were talking about me, said I had preached him 
to death, and now wonld not have a doctor. While 
he was at his right mind he did not want a, doctor, and 
after he did not know anything I would not have 
one. I was preaching at a place six miles from my 
home. I then lived at Marion, Ky. I lost my voice 
while eating breakfast. The people were Baptists and 
offered me remedies. I went out in the field and 
prayed and felt led to go home. I had just closed 
the meeting there and was to begin a meeting three 
miles from there that night, but I got my colts, 
hitched them to the buggy and started home. As I 
went the devil said, "Now you had better take some 
quinine or eat a lemon or something, or you can not 
preach to-night.' ' I said, "0 Lord, you can make 
me speak now if you want to. If you never let me 
speak while I live I will never take a remedy, I will 
die in the faith." The impression quit coming for 
remedies. Then I began to examine myself. 

By the time I got home I saw I was clear before 
God and I could whisper. I told wife to fix me some 
water to bathe my feet and I would lie down and 
rest. I put my colts up and sat by the fire while 
wife got the water. I thought I would wash my feet, 
then pray, and go to bed. The thought came, If I 
bathe my feet before I pray, then do speak, I will not 
know whether the foot-washing or prayer did the 



272 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

work. Charley sat by my side. I gave him to under- 
stand we were going to pray. By wife's help he knelt 
in prayer. In less time than I can tell it I was pray- 
ing till you could hear me a block away. I felt God 
would heal Charley right then. As I laid my hands 
on him I asked God to clear his mind and let me 
know what he wanted him to do, and heal him and 
put him in the pulpit with me again. He arose in 
his right mind. I never went to bed, but I went to 
my appointment. 

The news had got out I had lost my voice, and 
the house was crowded as they all desired to see the 
result, and I was a mystery to the people now. A 
woman said I preached louder and jumped higher 
that night than she ever saw me. We had a good 
meeting. I closed that meeting and went home. 

Charley was up, but very weak. He said, "Papa, 
God has showed me I must give up my education and 
go and preach. ' ' I said, ' ' All right, you can go with 
me to-morrow." I was going to begin a meeting 
eighteen miles away at Tolu, Ky. The next morning 
it was windy and cold in November. I told him it 
would be tempting God to go out in that cold the 
shape he was in. He came near crying and said, 
"Papa, I want to go; I promised God I would go." 
I went up in town and when I came back it was 
clear and the sun was shining bright. I told him to 
get ready and he could go. He said he was ready. 
We started in the buggy, but had not gone more than 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 273 

two miles when a cloud covered the sun and the wind 
blew cold. The devil said, "Now you have killed 
him." I got very cold. I rebuked the devil and 
told the Lord he could keep him through a cyclone, 
and we reached the town and the house where we 
expected to stay. Charley went to get out of the 
buggy and he was so numb and weak he fell and * 
could not get up. He crawled up on the stile, and 
some man near by said there was no one at home, 
and would not be that night. He crawled back to 
the buggy. I could not turn the colts loose to help 
him, for they were not broke. I reached out and 
pulled him in the buggy. It was easy done, as he 
was poor and small. We went to another place and 
staid. Charley had to pull himself on the rostrum. 
He preached. He gained a pound a day for ten 
days and had good health as long as he kept decided 
to stay out of the sect and preach. Well, we had 
victory and trials right along. 

I was holding meeting, and a blind woman came 
to be prayed for. She said she would be healed the 
seventh time I prayed for her. I prayed for her 
every day twice a day till the sixth prayer, when she 
jerked like a leaf in the wind, and it seemed she was 
choking. I was sure she was healed. I said amen. 
She jumped up, threw up her hands and ran back- 
wards and sat down again. I said, "It is done." It 
seemed the Spirit left, I did not know what to say. 
I finally said, ' ' Sister, there is something wrong ; you 



274 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

pray God to show you." Several agreed to praj' 
that night for God to show her condition. The next 
day a simple-minded woman went and asked her 
if the Lord showed her. She said he did, but she did 
not know what it was. She said there was just a 
small veil between her and God. The woman said, 
"Yes, your tobacco." She acknowledged it was, but 
would not give it up and did not come back. I saw 
her after that at a Methodist camp-meeting where 
God did some wonderful healings, and she presented 
herself for healing. I asked her if she would give up 
her tobacco. She said no. I would not pray for 
her, and she went into darkness, claiming to be saved 
and sanctified. There are many cases like this I 
have met. Before they would turn loose an idol they 
would miss their healing and get mad at me because 
I would not pray for them. I have witnessed the 
healing of a number of blind people, but they always 
got humble and willing to obey God. 

Now we had held aloof from sectism, never joined 
any sect, but as we could not find any one like we 
were, and we would have grand meetings, and all 
we could tell them, the Lord would take care of 
them. We were holding a tent meeting at Paducah, 
Ky., and I had not seen my wife and two little boys 
for three months. There was a railroad conductor 
came in the meeting and requested that whoever 
preached, to preach from "Jesus Wept." John 11: 
35. The people sat and wept. Just as Charley closed 




FAMILY GROUP. 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 275 

the sermon the man ran and grabbed Charley in his 
arms and cried out for salvation and claimed to get 
saved. He learned that I had not seen my family 
for three months and he gave me money to send for 
them, said his home was open for us- 

They had just been there a little while when I 
was sitting in the room where my wife was. I was 
reading and I felt an impression to go to Rosiclare, 
111. I said, "I feel impressed to go to Rosiclare." 
Wife said, "If you think you ought to go, I would 
go. ' ' Pretty soon the same impression came stronger. 
I said again, ' ' I feel I ought to go to Rosiclare. ' ' She 
repeated, "If you think you ought to go, go." The 
man came through the room. I said, "Brother Ritter, 
how much money have you got?" He said fifteen 
cents. I told him I wanted to go to Rosiclare. He 
told me that was all he had and I could have it. 
I said no, and I told Charley to run down to the 
grocery-store and telephone to the wharf and see if 
the packet was there. Just then I heard the boat 
whistle. I said, "Never mind, there it is." I grabbed 
my Bible grip and hat and kissed my wife good-by 
and started. The street-car was just ready to leave 
in front of the door. I got on the car, just had one 
nickel and put it in the slot to pay my fare to the 
wharf. Wife asked me when I would be back, then 
said, "But you don't know whether you will go or 
not." I said, "I will go, for God said go." The car 
stopped at Market Yard within two blocks of the 



276 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

wharf-boat. I was running down Broadway to get 
to the boat, when I met Captain Joe Fowler in front 
of the boat office. He was president of the Cairo 
and Evansville boat company, and knew me. He 
said, "Where are you going, Parson?" I said, "To 
Rosiclare by faith." He said, "Come in." When 
I went in he asked me when I was coming back, and 
I told him, "Day after to-morrow." He gave me a 
pass on the boat to Rosiclare and back. 

When I reached the town I was going up the street 
and saw Brother Needham. He began to rejoice. 
I said, ' k I am here, I do not know what for, God 
led me here." He said, "I know: there is a sick 
woman, and we have been praying for God to send 
you here. She said if you would come and pray for 
her she would be healed." He said, "Let us go up 
there." I said, "No, wait till she hears I am here, 
and let her send for me." I went to Mr. Henry 
Downey's, where Brother Needham was stopping. 
Brother Needham at that time was a Methodist 
preacher, and was holding a meeting there. We went 
to meeting, and that night I preached. We had a 
good meeting and the next morning he and I took 
our Bibles and went to the woods and began the sub- 
ject of baptism and sectism. The result was he came 
out of the sect, and Brother Heddin, a man who 
worked with him, and they now are ordained and 
preaching in this one body. 

At 2 o'clock in the afternoon we went to meeting, 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 277 

and while I was preaching a woman began to shout 
and a pug-dog began to try to tear her to pieces. 
As she would pass me I would kick the dog, and 
preach. She kept up the shout for some time. I pre- 
sented the altar, and a number came to the altar. 
We had a glorious meeting. After we dismissed 
they called me to go pray for this sick woman, said 
she got saved just as the boat landed that I came 
on. When I went in the house she was lying on the 
bed. She said, "God bless you, Brother Brown. I 
saw in the paper where you prayed for a woman and 
she was healed, and I have been praying in my sins 
for a year for God to send you here, and I got 
salvation yesterday, and he has sent you, and I know 
I will be healed." She had been sick for several 
years and confined to bed and room for a year. We 
prayed for her after instructing her. As we arose 
from prayer I sang a verse and she was looking 
right into my face. I saw her lip jerk a little, and 
I said, "Sister, it is done, God has healed you; rise 
in the name of Jesus Christ." She jumped out of 
bed shouting. The old sectarians and sinners be- 
gan to fall down and call on God for salvation. 
Several got saved. Her husband was an infidel and 
was away from home. 

I left that night after meeting. She went to meet- 
ing and testified loud and strong. There came a 
storm in time of meeting. The house was condemned 
and the people began to go out. I said, "You might 



278 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

as well stay; you can not hide from God." A few 
days later her husband came home. He was in a 
skiff. When he landed there were some parties said, 
"Bill, your wife is well." He said, "I guess not." 
They said, "Yes, Brown, has been here and healed 
her." He told me afterwards that he had just got 
out of the skiff and he said he just sat down on the 
bow of the skiff and could not move nor speak for 
a minute. He said to them, "Is that so?" They 
said, "Yes, she went to meeting, and has been all 
over the town." He said he went to the house and 
she came running to meet him, and said, "I am 
healed." He said he was dumb-founded, but he just 
shoved her away and cursed and said, "You could 
got up long ago." He said he knew it was not so, 
but did not want to give up, but he told me he knew 
she was healed. He had known me when I was an 
infidel and a drunkard. 

I found out she had a daughter in Paducah, where 
I was preaching. I wrote her a card, and she came 
to our meeting and got saved. After this I was at 
Rosiclarc and a woman sent for me to come and pray 
for her. I went in and she was in bed. I asked 
her what was the matter. "Oh," she said, "Willis, 
I am sin- sick. ' ' She had known me all my life. She 
said, ' ' I have belonged to the church for thirty years, 
but that night Angie Kilgor was healed and the storm 
came and you said we could not hide from God it 
convicted me, and I have been praying ever since 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 279 

that God would send you here, and I heard you preach 
the other night, and I have not eaten anything since. 
I want salvation like you have." We prayed with 
her and God saved her. 

Now we knew no paper but the Gospel Trumpet 
that taught as we believed, and we had been preju- 
diced against it soon after we were saved on account 
of one, J. P. Merrill, being published through it. He 
had made us believe that he had not been dealt with 
right and it was done just because they were not 
liking him because of him having more power than 
any of them. So after we found out he was crooked, 
we then read the Trumpet a while, and Charley cor- 
responded with Brother Byrum. Brother and Sister 
Dodge passed through the city of Paducah where we 
were preaching and each preached a sermon in our 
meeting. We liked them, but it seemed they were 
so dry, because we 'had been with sectism and thought 
if a fellow did not make a heap of fuss he was not 
saved. We decided to see what they taught. 

We wrote Brother Byrum and told him to send us 
a man that could set forth the church, and one came 
from Michigan. I will not say anything he did, 
but we thought he was not saved, and the poor fellow 
has proven since he was not saved. This discouraged 
Charley, and he said there was no one like us, and 
we began then to try to set forth the church, but did 
not see how we could without having their names to 
know who belonged, so in trying to keep a record of 



280 



FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 



their names we soon found out we had a sect. One 
place they called it "Brown's Holy Baptist Church." 
I saw that would not do. Charley began to read the 
newspapers, posted himself about the Spanish war, 
next he got slack in preaching. He then took sick 
and we were in Portageville, Mo., where we sometime 
before had as high as one hundred professions in 
one meeting; once preached to a crowd of people 
supposed to be three thousand, and baptized thirty- 
five in Little river. 

Now Charley had no faith. We had our tent in 
town and had meeting morning, afternoon and night, 
and no one to preach but me. Charley was a little 
distance from the tent at a man's house. He would 
send for me to come and pray for him. I would go 
and pray for him ; he would get better and I would go 
back to meeting, then he would send for me again. 
I would be preaching and send my wife. He would 
say, "Go back and get papa; he has more faith than 
you have." I would go; he would get relief, but he 
finally lost his mind. The world was persecuting 
and threatening me, and it meant something there, 
for they tied three men up to a tree and wore several 
buggy whips out on them, and shot a man down with- 
in one hundred yards of the tent when I was preach- 
ing. So you see they did not talk just to scare, 
but they would do. I would not call a doctor; they 
all knew my faith. I had prayed for people there 
that the doctor had given up to die, and they were 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 28l 

healed and got right out of bed. So I went down in 
a slough a little distance from the tent and prayed. 
I told God Charley had lost his faith now, and his 
mind too, to raise him up and keep the reproach off 
of the cause. 

I got the witness and started back to the tabernacle. 
I saw him coming to the tent. He was healed, but 
was very weak and poor, as he had been sick with 
a high fever for several days. He wanted to go out 
in the country a mile to a friend's to stay a while 
till he got stout. He went, and in three days he came 
back nearly rotten. He could not use his hands nor 
scarcely sit down. He asked me to pray for him. 
I did, and felt he was healed. I said, "Bless God! 
Charley, it is done." He looked up into my face as 
blank and said, "Papa, I hope it is." I saw he had 
no faith, and I just dropped my faith. In a few 
days he and I were out in the woods. I proposed 
to him that we would just take hold of God and hold 
on till he was healed. He said, "Papa, it is the itch 
and the doctor said it was a bug and something would 
have to be put on to kill the bug. ' ' I said, ' ' Charley, 
the devil made the bug, God can kill it." It did 
not increase his faith, he would just cry, and I could 
not encourage him any way. He had to have his 
little brother to sleep with him to scratch for him, 
to dress him and feed him, and he got it, and all 
of us got it. Charley gave up and used remedies. 
I had an uncle that was a physician and he wanted to 



282 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

go to his house and be treated. I let him go. When 
he got to uncle's and told his business, uncle said, 
"My son, I would rather get down and pray for you 
than treat you. ' ' He said, ' ' It will ruin your faith. ' ' 
Charley cried and told him papa had more faith 
than anybody and he prayed for him and he was not 
healed, and he could not stand it any longer, so he 
treated him. 

I dismissed my meeting at Hayward, Mo. on Sun- 
day night. My youngest boy was lying on the ros- 
trum with a high fever when I was preaching the 
last night of the meeting, and wife, children and my- 
self all had the itch. There was a crowd of toughs 
there that had run a Methodist preacher off just be- 
fore I went. A sinner had sent teams after me 
to move my tent there to hold a meeting. They 
told me there were twenty-two boys that tore up 
meetings, and ran preachers off just as they got 
there. It rained for about thirty minutes and the 
cotton-pickers were all in town. AYhen we drove on 
the ground where we aimed to set the tent there was 
a big fellow began to turn one of the wagons over, 
others hollowing, "Turn it over." I just walked by 
as though I did not notice what they were doing. I 
said, "Boys, where is the best place to set the tent?" 
They began to give their opinion, and we agreed 
where we would set it. There were some logs in the 
way. They helped me move the logs out of the way, 
then they helped me put up the tent. Just as they 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 283 

got the side curtains put up there was a big fellow 
began to shout. He did not know I was in the tent. 
He ran back on me. I said, ' ' Praise God ! you are a 
good shouter for the devil, I hope I will see you 
shout for the Lord before I leave here." He ran out 
of the tent for a while and then came back and said, 
"Brother Brown, you must excuse me; I did not 
know you were in there. ' ' I said all right, the Lord 
knew I was in there. The next night he and others 
were at the altar. Four of them got saved before the 
meeting closed, and the last day the other eighteen 
got drunk on hard cider furnished them by a brother 
of the Baptist church. This was Sunday. That night 
they were fussing and quarreling around the tent, 
and I was preaching till they attracted the attention 
of the people, and I quit preaching and began to sing. 
They crowded around the tent. They thought meet- 
ing was closing and we would have an altar service. 
I began telling them my experience, gave an exhorta- 
tion, and they began to weep. Some of them looked 
very sad. I said, "Boys, don't you want me to pray 
for you before I leave?" I got on my knees and 
said, "Come kneel down here and let me pray with 
you." They just came falling around me crying, 
and I said, "Now, boys, it is salvation or hell. Now 
I know you are drunk, but God can kill the effects of 
hard cider. Get hold of God while I pray," and as 
I prayed they cried aloud. I told them after the 
prayer that I was going to leave, and that I wanted 



284 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

to shake hands with all of the professors first, and 
then the sinners, and all that felt I was a man of 
God and wanted to help lne pay my expenses to give 
what they felt like donating. After the professors 
got through shaking hands they had given me $5.00. 
Then those drunk fellows came crying and gave me 
$20.00. 

Next morning my little boy was very sick. I went 
to Portageville, a neighboring town, to see about 
shipping my tent, and when I got back the boy was 
speechless and could not swallow a drop of water. 
I asked my wife what she wanted to do. I told her 
it was her boy as well as mine. "You know my 
faith," she said. "I do not want to do anything, 
but I want you to pray the prayer of faith, if you 
can. I can not give him up." I prayed, but could 
not pray the prayer of faith. A man called for me 
at the gate. I went out and he asked me how the 
boy was. I said, "No better, I believe he will die." 
He was a sinner, but belonged to the Baptist sect, 
and said he did not believe he would die, God would 
not treat me that way. He said, "I will go in and 
see him." He came out and said, "Why, he is 
sweating; he won't die." I said, "He sweats every 
time I pray for him." "Well," he said, "I will go 
get Charley and Anderson if you want me to." 
Charley was on the road that we expected to go the 
next day, and Anderson was at his house seven miles 
away. I said no, he could not talk to them, and 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 285 

it would be no satisfaction to them to see him in 
that condition: just as well see him dead. He could 
not speak to them if they were there. He left, and 
the people crowded in and looked at the boy. Every- 
body nearly that lived in the town saw him that 
evening, and that night at 10 o'clock there was a 
large crowd. It seemed to bother him. I told them 
that we had left the child in the hands of God and 
that we could do nothing for him only just watch 
him, and so much noise seemed to bother him. If 
they would please leave the room wife and I would 
stay with him alone, and they left, some of them 
insulted. 

I began to pray after they went out and the child 
went to sleep and at 2 o'clock he woke up, looked 
at me and threw out his hand at me and said, 
"Papa, give me a drink of water." He drank a 
cup of water and said, "Papa,, God has touched my 
body. ' ' He was five years old and was my baby boy. 
He talked with me till daylight. I did not feel like 
sleep. I told God in my prayer if he was done with 
me there to make my boy able to eat his breakfast, 
and let the sun shine to dry my tent, and furnish 
me teams to haul my tent, and I would move for 
his glory. I could hardly keep him in bed. My wife 
got up and I told him I wanted to sleep a little 
while. I did not want to let him out till the sun 
drove the damp away. He would call his mamma 
and tell her God had touched his body and he wanted 



286 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

to get up and put on his new pants. The man we staid 
with was a storekeeper and he had given him a pair of 
pants. My wife came in to stay with him while I 
ate breakfast. He kept calling me, telling me God 
had touched his body and he wanted to get up. I 
told them when I was sitting at # the table God had 
told me I had not done my duty there. I had not 
been having prayer with them. They were all out 
at their work early in the morning and late at night 
and they were all unsaved but the old woman. The 
man would go to the store as soon as he would get 
up, only be at the house for meals. I said, "Let us 
pray." The man knelt with us. When we got up 
the boy was hollowing, "God has touched my body, 
I want to get up." The man said with tears 
in his eyes, "It is no use for any one to tell me 
God won't heal, for when I came out of that room 
last night I never expected to see that child alive 
again." He thought a great deal of the boy and 
had him with him most of the time till he was taken 
sick. I said, ' ' You ought to go in and see him now. ' ' 
He said he had been in. He said, "I never slept last 
night till he was healed. I heard you pray and T 
heard the boy call you at 2 o'clock. I woke my wife 
and told her Georgie was healed." This man's name 
is Alfred Newton, of Hayward, Mo. 

The sun was shining bright and the boy got up 
and ate his breakfast. At 2 o'clock I had my tent 
loaded and traveling on a thirty-mile trip. We 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 287 

stopped and staid all night. The devil put a high 
fever on the boy. I prayed all night and just before 
day the fever left him. I started at daylight and 
at 10 o'clock the boy had a high fever. It seemed he 
would go into spasms. That was what the devil 
tried me on, as he had had fits before. It was very 
hot weather and sandy land, no shade or timber along 
the road. We passed through a town and I stopped 
at a number of business houses to get water for 
my boy. They would not give me any, said there 
Avas a pump up the street at the shop. I went and 
got a cup of water. By the time I got to the wagon 
the water was warm. It seemed the child would 
die. The devil pictured it out to me how it would 
look for a child to die in the wagon on the road, 
and I thought about stopping there, but only had 
$25.00 and knew it would not last long at a hotel 
with all my family, so I went on. The boy was healed 
instantly and raised up and sat up just after I prayed 
for him about 4 o'clock that evening and went to eat- 
ing. There were two sinners with me hauling our 
tent. They said God healed him. We held a meet- 
ing within ten miles of the town where they would 
not give me water for my sick child and inside of 
ten days from the time they refused the water that 
whole string of houses burned up. Grod confirmed 
the Word, If they don't receive you shake the dust 
off as a testimony against them, and it shall be more 
tolerable for the city of Sodom in the day of judg- 
ment than for that people. 



288 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Well, Charley was now under treatment at the 
doctor's, wife and little boys and I had the itch. 
Wife's faith was shook because Charley had let 
down, and I had to stand alone with Jesus for my- 
self and family. I learned a grand lesson. When 
I would itch I would pray till it quit, then I would 
not think of it any more till I would itch again, 
thru I would pray again. It was just broke out 
under my clothes. Charley got healed and came 
back to us, and in a few days he discovered he had 
the itch still. By this time we had gone to the town 
where my uncle that was the doctor lived, and 
Charley read his books and found red precipitate 
was prescribed for the itch, so he secured some and 
greased himself. He and I went to another town 
six miles away, left my wife and two little boys 
there at my uncle's. Charley took cold and his 
mouth got sore and his tongue swelled till it filled 
his mouth. You could see the print of every tooth 
on his tongue. He was salivated from the red pre- 
cipitate. I preached in the Methodist house. Char- 
ley would sit on the platform behind the pulpit, 
the slobbers dripping from his mouth to the floor. 
I preached on Divine Healing. The people and the 
devil would say, "He don't heal his boy." The 
devil would say you had better let up on healing till 
you all get well of the itch. I would say it is God's 
Word. The promise is to them that believe, I will 
trust him though he slay me. Finally we came to 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 289 

Kentucky within twenty miles of Marion, a town 
where we lived, and held a meeting, expecting to 
close there, then go home. I had then been away 
from home eight months and my wife and children 
had been with me five months. 

Charley had insisted on me using a remedy for 
the itch. I told him no, I would trust God. It had 
not yet broke out on my hands, but just under my 
clothes. He said when it broke out on my hands 
I would use something. So one morning I got up and 
there were sores between my fingers. He looked at 
me and said, "Papa, you are bringing reproach upon 
the cause of Christ. I would use something, and get 
that cured up." I said, "Never mind, son, God 
and I will attend to that to-night." When I went 
to the bedroom instead of going to bed I went to 
God in prayer. When I came out of there the next 
morning there was not a sore on me. When I went 
to meeting there was a large crowd. Charley was 
there. He and I did not stay together. I knelt down 
in the pulpit in secret prayer while they were sing- 
ing. I heard Charley come up in the pulpit and 
sit down on the bench. When I rose up and sat 
down on the bench I turned the back of my hand 
down where he could not see it just to see what 
he would do. He took hold of my hand and turned 
it over and said, "0 papa, where are those sores?" 
I said, "Praise God! they are gone off my hands, 
and off my back; I am healed." He said, "0 papa, 



290 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I wish I had such faith." I do not believe that 
Charley ever would have trusted God for healing 
any more if I had not gained the victory, but realize 
God permitted me to go through that test to con- 
vince him God's Word was true. 

There was a political speech in our town a day 
or so before we aimed to go home and a colored man 
was there with smallpox and exposed the whole 
town and country, as there were many there; so the 
town was quarantined. I then took my family with 
me to Casper Fink's, Saline Mills, 111., where 
I have preached every Christmas since I was saved. 
I held meetings around there till Christmas. The 
quarantine was then raised off of the town at 
home, then Grandpa Fink started home with my 
family and me twenty miles distant. We came to 
Cave in Rock, 111., where we crossed the river. It 
was just night, but they had smallpox there in that 
town. We stopped at a place out three miles to 
stay all night. I called at the gate and inquired 
for the man of the. house. They called me in and 
showed me his room. I shook hands with the old 
man and his wife. He said for me to take a chair. 
I told him I wanted to stay all night, that I had a 
wagon-load with me. He said, "It is a poor chance 
here; we have the smallpox. I am just getting up 
and wife just breaking out." I talked a while and 
came out. They asked me if they would keep us. 
I said no. We had been refused at another place, 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 291 

as the old folks were gone from home. Grandpa 
Fink was a German and said, "Vat's the matter 
now ¥ ' ' I said, ' ' Nothing much, they have just got the 
smallpox." Charley said, "0 papa!" The German 
said to the team, "Get up!" My wife, niece and 
children began taking on. The German had caught 
his breath and thought of God and said he wouldn't 
have them. I prayed for five days and nights and 
got the witness I would not have them. 

I sent an appointment to a place where I would 
begin a protracted meeting and also some appoint- 
ments on the way there on to a town. When 1 
went into the town it was a cold day and I took 
headache, my bones ached, my nose ran, and I felt 
as if I was taking the measles. I had had the measles 
twice. I preached to a large crowd that night, and 
when I was fixing for bed they had prayer for me, 
but I did not get any relief. When I went into 
the room to go to bed, I knelt to pray. When I was 
praying I thought it was just nine days since I had 
a chance for smallpox. It scared me. The devil said, 
"You knew you had been exposed, and you have 
come into this town where you have more friends 
than any one place on earth, and you have inoculated 
all the people here, brought a reproach upon the 
cause, killed your influence and turned people from 
God." I was just about backsliding when I decided 
to reason. I said, "Now, Lord, you gave me the 
evidence you would not let me have the smallpox. 



292 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

I started out on your promises by faith.' ' By this 
time I felt clear before God, and I said, "Now, Lord, 
if it will be more to your glory for me to have the 
smallpox, inoculate the town, lose my influence and 
bring reproach upon the cause of Christ, I am will- 
ing. ' ' By this time it seemed I could feel them break- 
ing through the skin and I just itched ; I could scarce- 
ly keep from scratching. I said, "It is to your glory 
to heal me. When the leper fell at your feet and 
said, 'If thou wilt thou canst make me clean,' you 
stretched forth your hand and said, l I will; be thou 
clean.' Now if you will you can make me clean 
of this smallpox, and I believe you do," and in- 
stantly I was healed and every symptom left. I 
prayed God to let nobody take them. I never said 
anything to the people there about being exposed 
to the smallpox for about a year afterward, and it 
seemed it scared some of them when I told them, 
although it had been a year before. 

Now I began a meeting within seven miles of 
Marion, Ky., where I then lived. My niece, Jessie 
Jackson, had come home with me. She had been 
raised a Methodist and never had seen any one healed. 
I took her with me out where I was holding meet- 
ing. There was a young man walking on crutches 
where I staid. I talked with him and he said he 
had faith to be healed. We knelt in prayer. My 
niece was near by my side. When I said amen the 
man jumped up, threw his crutches across the house 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 293 

and walked. He and I went to meeting together in 
the buggy. He walked all right except he was bent 
over a little. My niece was at meeting; she watched 
him for several days. Finally she said, "Now, uncle, 
if he was healed why don't he straighten up ?" Well, 
he was just like a great many others, he got so far, 
and God just gave what his faith took in. Jesus said 
to the blind man, "As your faith, so be it unto 
you." A divided mind can not get anything from 
God. Weak faith and doubting God is bringing re- 
proach upon the cause by many claiming to be 
healed and still sick. 

The next meeting was at Shadygrove. I went there 
and a man went to see a Methodist preacher to get 
the house. He was not at home. His wife said for 
me just to come and go to preaching, it would be all 
right with her husband. We had a good crowd the 
first night. I had held meetings close there and 
some things that happened had aroused quite a 
curiosity. After a few nights the preacher came and 
he told me to come and make my home at the par- 
sonage. As soon as meeting was dismissed I went 
home with him. When we were seated by the fire 
at his home he asked me what church I belonged to. 
I said the church of God. He said I ought to be- 
long to some denomination. His wife said to him, 
"Hush, hush! don't you name that again," and I 
staid there ten days and church or sect was never 
named to me by that man again. I never was treated 



294 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

any better by any one, and I preached as straight as 
I knew how. That was one of the most consecrated 
women I ever saw. We would have prayer and all 
go to bed bnt her. She would pray till she would 
get happy and go to bed shouting glory. When she 
got up in the morning the man would make the fire 
in the cook-stove. She would pray sometimes till 
I would hear him come in three times and put wood 
in the stove. She never would get off her knees till 
she got happy, then all the time she was getting 
breakfast I could hear the halleluiahs and glories 
and praises go up to God. 

She told her experience of washing. One day she 
said she had just moved into a town, and knew no one. 
\vnen about half done washing her clothes she felt 
impressed to go to a neighbor's and take her Bible. 
The mud was deep, but she took her Bible and went 
to the house and found a poor discouraged woman 
there that had not been to meeting for years. She 
began to read and talk. She got her to give her heart 
to God. She had a drunkard husband, knew no God, 
and was discouraged. She went back home, finished 
her washing, and just as she hung the last garment on 
the line the clothesline broke and her clothes went 
dragging in the mud. She said, "Praise God! Hal- 
leluiah!" Now she said, "I did not praise God be- 
cause my clothes were muddy, and I had to wash 
them over again, but praised God because he kept 
me while I was washing them." 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 295 

We had a good meeting. When I went to leave the 
man brought out a nice ham of meat and set it down 
and said, "Brother Brown, take that home to Sister 
Brown ; tell her I sent it to her. ' ' The woman looked 
at me, and she arose to her feet and said, "Praise 
God ! " She went out of the room and came in 
with a twenty-five pound sack of flour and set it 
down beside the meat and said, ' ' Brother Brown, take 
that flour to Sister Brown ; tell her I sent it. Brother 
Pangburn does not eat meat, but I eat biscuits. ' ' 
Now do you see the lesson in this? He gave what 
he did not use, and condemned and preached against, 
and she gave what she ate and liked. Now with 
all respect to the Methodist preacher, and don't 
think he thought of such a thing, but how many give 
that they don't want or need. As I left he said 
all his churches were open for me to preach in at 
any time. 

There was a preacher in the town where we lived 
who believed with everybody he met. He preached 
a great deal in this country and where we just told 
the meeting was. He wrote for Charley and I to 
come where he was. We went, I saw something was 
wrong. I went a short distance to see a man I 
knew when I was a boy, by the name of Dr. Ram- 
sey. His post-office was Dalton, Hopkins Co., Ky. 
He was glad to see me, had not seen me since I was 
a boy, and was much surprised to see me a preacher. 
He said he wanted me to come over there and hold 



296 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

a meeting. I agreed to go. I went back where 
Charley and the other preacher were and told them 
what I had agreed to do. The preacher said, "Why, 
Brother Brown, you have been successful everywhere 
you went, but you will make a failure this time. 
God himself can not move that people." An old 
woman sitting by witnessed the statement the preacher 
made. I said if they will come out God will move 
them. He "said, "They will come, and you will have 
big congregations, but the biggest evangelist that was 
ever in this country was there, and they just made 
fun of him. They can not move them on any propo- 
sition." I said, "God can move them." There was 
a big snow on the ground that night and it turned 
very cold; the coldest ever in that countiy, some 
stock froze to death in the barn. 

Charley and I went to the place. This preacher 
would not go in the meeting with us there. We be- 
gan the meeting, a large crowd came out, but they 
made fun of me while I preached and made quite 
a bit of confusion talking and laughing. I prayed 
God to show me what to do about staying there. 
The only thing I wanted to know was if it was 
God's will for me to stay, I knew he would take care 
of the rest. The third night after I began my fast 
God showed me to stay, I would get victory. The 
fourth night I preached from the seventh verse of 
the sixth chapter of Galatians: "Be not deceived; 
God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 297 

that shall he also reap." I was impressed that some 
were getting their last gospel call. I said, "I am 
impressed some are getting their last call here to- 
night." They laughed at me wonderfully. In a 
few minutes I got the same impression again and 
spoke the same thing. They still laughed. Soon the 
impression came more powerful. I said, "Mark what 
I tell you; look around; you see who are here, some 
one is getting their last gospel call." There was 
quietness all over the house. I never saw such a 
change so soon. It seemed that God put a solemnity 
upon every soul. I presented an altar and told 
them that I wanted everybody that was ready for 
death or the judgment to come and give me their 
hand. There were four out of the great congrega- 
tion that came. One young lady squeezed my hand 
so tight that it attracted my attention. I looked 
at her and recognized I had had an introduction to 
her. She had listened very close to the preaching. 
She turned around and stood by my side. I gave an 
exhortation for sinners and invited them to the 
altar for prayer. I told them to sing. The young 
lady started the song and she threw up her hands 
and fell dead. I raised her up on the bench, but 
there was no appearance of life. I asked them to 
sing, but no one could sing. I said, "Sinners, this 
is for you; come to the altar." There were about 
twenty came, fell on their faces and cried to God 
for salvation. The girl never breathed again. She 



298 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

was dead. She was a hearty, healthy girl about twenty 
years old, was not subject to disease or sickness. Her 
name was Dora Brown, her father's name was Bas- 
sett Brown. His post-office is Dalton, Hopkins Co., 
Ky. God showed that people that he could move 
them. It gave a great alarm seemingly to the peo- 
ple, and not long afterward there was one of the 
greatest revivals and reformations that ever was 
known in that country. 

I went to a town to hold a meeting. I reached 
there just at dark and was very tired. The meet- 
ing was announced. There were but few came out, 
just one man and wife and several other women. 
They both gave brilliant testimonies, said they were 
sanctified. After meeting was dismissed he invited 
me to go home with him and stay all night, and I 
accepted the invitation. Before we reached the 
house I saw his wife was displeased about me going. 

When I got there I saw they were very poor peo- 
ple. We went into a room where there was one bed 
and a heating stove with a little fire and a few chunks 
of rotten wood. There were a number of children 
in the bed. They were whining and crying and 
scratching, and the thought struck me they had the 
itch. The lady went into another room after slamming 
things around in there for some time. She called 
her husband and he went in, and after a while they 
came back in the room where I was. She began to 
pull the children out of the bed. The ages ran all 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 299 

the way from six months to sixteen years old. They 
were broke out in sores all over. They came out 
scratching and crying, and I thought, They are going 
to put me in that bed. She spread the cover up 
a little and went out. The man said to me, "You 
can occupy that bed. ' ' 

After they left I looked. The last stick of wood 
was in the stove and it was a cool night, and I was 
worn out, as I had been preaching hard for some 
time. I got on my knees and said, "Lord, you can 
heal the itch, you can keep me from taking it. I 
am tired and bound to have rest, and I am going 
to get in this bed by faith in you. ' ' After I had lain 
there for a while a tickling began on my neck. I 
scratched a little and soon it was just all over me. 
I saw it was the devil trying to put the itch on 
me. I rebuked it in the name of Jesus Christ and 
went to sleep. 

Next morning when I got up they had breakfast 
ready. I ate a few bites, went down on the river 
and prayed God to open up a home for me if he 
wanted me to stay there. I went back and got my 
grip and started up through town, just chanced to 
stop in a grocery-store. The man spoke to me very 
familiar. He knew me before I was saved and 
asked me if I would not take dinner with him. I 
told him I would. He says, "Where did you stay 
last night V ' I told him, and he said, ' ' We can pro- 
vide a better way for you. I have a good room and 



300 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

nice bed, you are perfectly welcome. " I never had 
the itch from that time. 

I received a despatch to come South where there 
was an epidemic raging among the people. It was 
stated there were seventy-six cases. The doctors did 
not know what was the matter. The people would 
die in from three hours to nine days after they had 
taken it. Their tongues would swell and crack open, 
their throats would crack open as far down as you 
could see, and they would throw up dark green look- 
ing stuff. 

The nearest railroad station to me was at my home. 
I had to go six miles by skiff to a town within 
eighteen miles of where I lived. Expected to get con- 
veyance from there, but the teams were all out. I 
telephoned home to the liveryman to send a rig after 
me, and he did. He reached my house about thirty 
minutes before train time. My wife had received a 
letter from the parties that had written to me, stat- 
ing to her the nature of the disease. She knew at 
once that I had started for there. She began to 
cry and say she did not want me to go. I told her 
I must go. She got me around the neck, my little 
boys got me around the legs, all pleading, saying if 
I went they were afraid I would take the disease 
and die. I told her that I felt that God called me, 
and I was bound to go. 

As I was going to the depot I passed in front of 
a grocery-store where I traded. I had contracted 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 301 

with the man to settle up at the end of every month. 
Had been trading this way for years. I had now been 
away a month, did not get any means to spare, conse- 
quently I had not paid my bill. When I saw the man 
I thought of it, but knew if I stopped to explain to 
him I would miss the train, so I thought I would 
write back to him. 

I went on, traveled all day and all night, and ar- 
rived at the place of the pestilence. It was a horrible 
sight, heartrending to see mothers and fathers, wives 
and children going into eternity without God and 
without hope. They had all had the truth and had 
rejected it, or a good part of them. I staid there 
for a month, or nearly so, prayed for the sick, 
preaching funerals, and preached every night in the 
schoolhouse. There were three cases healed in answer 
to prayer. There was one got well that the doctor 
got the praise of curing, and the rest of the seventy- 
six cases all died. 

They wrote for me to come to another place fifty 
miles from there and hold a meeting. They wanted 
my son Charley and I. I wrote them and told them 
where Charley was, they could get him, and I would 
come as soon as I could leave. Charley went there 
and began the meeting. 

About the time I was ready to leave there was a 
lady took very bad, whom I have spoken of before 
in my experience. Her maiden name was Tal Merrit. 
She married a man named Linberger. She had lost 



302 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

her experience, they got along very badly, both very 
wicked. She had seen many die within the last few 
days. When she took sick she wanted me to pray 
for her, but her husband refused. She begged 
him to let me pray for her, but he told her no, 
that he would leave her if I prayed for her. 
I was called to an adjacent room to pray for a 
dying boy. She asked them to open the door so she 
could look in and see us when we prayed for him. 
Soon her husband left the house and she sent in for 
me to come and pray for her. I sent her word back 
that I was praying for her, for her to look to God. 
She sent word back that she was bound to die, and 
that she was going to hell, and if I would just come 
and lay my hands on her I could go then and pray 
in secret and God would save her. The parties 
present persuaded me to grant the request, so I did, 
but when I got to her bedside she grabbed hold of 
me and never would turn me loose till I would lay 
hands on her and prayed for God to save her soul. 
I left the room. She soon sent for me to come 
back. After a while her husband came in. She told 
him she was bound to die, she was lost if she did 
not get saved. She wanted him to let me come and 
pray for her soul's salvation. He said no. She said 
she was bound to call me in. He picked up the 
child where he was sitting on the side of the bed 
and said, "Well, you call him in. I will take this 
child and leave, you will never see us again." She 



INTO LAEGER FIELDS. 303 

looked at her little infant and said, "Good-by, dar- 
ling baby, mamma loves you, but I have soon got to 
leave, and unless I get saved I will be forever lost." 
He left the room. She soon sent for me. I followed 
him out and asked him if I could pray for his wife. 
He said he had nothing to do with it. I asked him 
what he had against me. He brought up some trouble 
that I had had with his nephew before I was saved. 
I told him that that had all been made satisfactory 
with his nephew and me, and I had withdrawn the 
suit that we had in court. He said that he did not 
know that, and consented for me to pray for her. 
I went in and prayed and she claimed to get saved. 

At a late hour in the night I laid down and went 
to sleep. Just about day they came and called me, 
told me she was dying. I asked God if she was 
saved to give me the evidence by letting her die 
without a struggle. When I walked in and sat 
at the foot of her bed she saw my pencil in my 
pocket and motioned for it. She could not speak. 
I gave her the pencil and a piece of paper, and she 
wrote on it, "Eat." We gave her a cup of milk and 
bread and she ate hearty and lived about six hours ; 
got so she could talk, told where her clothes were 
that she wanted to be buried in, how she wanted to 
be put away, and fell asleep in the arms of Jesus 
without a struggle. 

The boy in the other room that I had prayed for 
asked God to spare his life and give him his mind 



304 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

that he could get saved. God did, and granted him 
salvation. When I told him that I must go he put 
his arms around my neck and told me that I had 
saved his life. I told him no, God had in answer 
to prayer: now to be a good boy. He said, "Uncle 
Willis, unless pa gives his heart to God I must die." 
His father was my associate that I spoke of hereto- 
fore that went to the altar and got saved, which 
caused me to go to meeting when I got convinced 
that God would answer prayer. He had now back- 
slidden and was very wicked. About this time his pa 
came in. I said, "Talk to your pa that way." He 
asked him to come and get on his knees by his bed. 
He put his arms around his neck and told him if 
he would give his heart to God, God would heal him, 
and begged him to pray. He said he would try. 
He wanted me to come and pray with him for his 
pa. We knelt in prayer, and I believe he tried with 
all his heart and made a decision there that he 
would do better. The boy was instantly relieved; 
got so that he could sit up in bed and eat. I staid 
another day and his father got so he would not 
kneel with us in prayer, and said it was no use for 
him to try to get saved. I lost my faith in that 
case and left. The boy got worse and soon died. 
The man became a total wreck. It is a dangerous 
thing to ignore life, to reject the truth and Spirit of 
God when you once know it. 

I went up where Charley was holding meeting. 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 305 

As soon as I got there I received a letter from the 
grocery man that I had spoken of at home stating 
that my account was $13.77. I just had twenty- 
five cents. I had been so busily engaged that I had 
let another month pass and never had thought of 
the grocery bill. I sat down and wrote him and ex- 
plained to him the circumstances, told him that I 
would pay him as soon as I got it. 

It was right in a small town, seemed as though 
there was no possible chance, for the congregation of 
people were all poor, and I did not see any chance 
for God to raise money for me there. I knew where 
there was no way God could make a way. The next 
morning I went up into the woods to have secret 
prayer. I talked to the Lord as I would talk to 
a man. I told him I had forsaken wife, children, and 
my own life, for the gospel; I had not gone into the 
danger I had been in to be seen of man, but for the 
glory of God and the good of souls, and that he 
had promised to be with me to the end of the world 
and to provide for our every need, and that I 
wanted him to give me the money to pay my grocery 
bill, that I might not be a stumbling-block in the 
way of the man who was furnishing my family 
groceries, whom they claimed was an infidel. 

I got the witness that God would give me the 
means. I went back down to the little town. The 
man I staid with was a store-keeper. I slept in the 
back end of the store and had a key to the store. 



306 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

He and a number of men were sitting in front of the 
store when I came back. I unlocked the door and 
went back in my room and changed clothes. It was 
on Sunday morning. The man soon came in the 
store, came back in the room where I was and began 
to unlock the money-safe. He was behind me. Th-. j 
thought struck me he was going to make change for 
somebody, and he had told me that he did not do 
business on Sunday. Pretty soon he touched my 
elbow and I looked around. He said, "Here; I 
don't know how you are fixed, but I felt led to give 
you $15.00." I said, "Thank God! I just asked 
for it thirty minutes ago, and here I have it." The 
next morning I sent the money to the grocery man, 
and told him how I got it, and asked him if he . 
would still furnish my family as he had been. He 
wrote back he would furnish my family if I had 
never paid him a cent. He said I look upon you 
as being an example to show what God can do for 
fallen humanity. 

Three months later I got home and went up to 
his store. He was busy waiting on some one, but 
called a clerk to take his place and asked me to go 
back to his desk with him and sit down. He sat 
down and looked at me very strange and said, "How 
are you getting along?" I said, "All right; I am 
saved." He said, "It was quite a miracle how you 
got that money, wasn't it?" I said yes; but God is 
the same to-day, he promised to provide. He said, 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 307 

"What is your faith, what church do you belong 
to?" I said, "My faith is that God will do what 
he says. His Word is true. I belong to the church 
of God, the one that Jesus said the gates of hell 
could not prevail against." I explained to him my 
faith and belief. He said, "I believe in that kind 
of religion," so he and I are yet particular friends. 
His name is Ab Henry, Marion, Crittenden Co., Ky. 

Now I have given some experiences, but shall not 
give them all, but feel led to give this one. Charley 
and I had started East to hold a number of meetings 
in different places. After we held the first meeting 
it seemed God laid it on me to turn right the other 
way. I came back home, we then lived at Marion, 
Ky. The place where I had to go was about sixty 
miles and away from any transportation— trains or 
river. I borrowed some horses to ride and we started. 
We arrived at the place on Thursday evening. I told 
them the Lord had sent me there to hold a meeting. 
They said they had been praying for God to send a 
preacher by the time their school was out, and their 
school would be out the next day, so they knew God 
had sent me. 

They shouted the first night I preached, but the 
third and fourth night they did not shout or amen it. 
God sent the truth so it uncovered sin, and a good 
many concluded God had not sent me. The pro- 
fessors began to persecute. They got the world 
stirred at me, and the devil howled, but this made no 



308 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

change in the preaching. So the last night of the 
meeting just as we presented the altar the pistols 
began to ring on the outside of the house and the 
rocks and bullets began to pour in at the windows. 
The people began to fall on the floor, some knocked 
with stones, and some fell down to keep from getting 
knocked down. Great longlegged men crawled under 
the short benches of the schoolhouse. Charley ran 
under the desk where I was standing. I could not 
see any one that was on their feet, but one brother 
was behind me holding to me, jerking and saying, 
' ' I feel like praying. ' ' It was a good time, everybody 
was down. There was one sister knelt by my side. 
She had often said she could not pray aloud, but she 
prayed louder than any one else. The sinners some 
of them ran out and began to shoot at the gang, 
and they ran off. We prayed for the brother that 
was hurt the worst, God healed him, and gave victory. 
Praise God! he has promised to be with us always, 
i 1 von unto the end. 

Now there are a few more experiences I feel led 
to give. We bought a gospel tent at Dalton, Ga., 
had it shipped to Paducah and began a meeting. The 
parties that had promised to pay for the tent went 
back on their word and would not pay it. I was 
praying God to open up the way so I could pay for 
the tabernacle. Charley received a letter from a 
company, wanting a man to act as agent to em- 
ploy agents to sell a book. He wrote and told them 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 309 

he was just a boy and could not make legal contracts, 
but bis father had done considerable business, he 
would take it, and he referred them to the banks at 
the town where we lived and the county officers of 
Marion to find out my reliability. In a short time 
I received a letter from them, stating they accepted 
me, also two contracts for me to sign. They had 
already signed them and I was to keep one and send 
them the other. The offer was good ; it reached to as 
high as $100.00 a month. First month $75.00, se- 
cond $85.00 ? and then $100.00. I was to canvass this 
book thirty days, then act as general agent to hire 
agents, for which they agreed to give me $100.00 a 
month. There were testimonies from a number of 
preachers, stating it was a good book and an honor- 
able business. I wrote them several times before I 
signed the contracts, asked a number of questions, 
and made a number of propositions. I would write 
them and pray God to not let me get the contract 
unless it was his will, but I looked at the debt on the 
tent and the $100.00 a month. So while I would write 
and pray God to keep it from me if it was evil, I 
would rather wish it was so I could get it. I finally 
told them my business, and if it would not hinder 
me from my preaching and they would let me hire 
agents by letter and keep up my gospel work, all 
right. They said they would do it. They wanted me 
to put in six hours a day. I then told them if they 
would allow me to put in two days in one I would can- 



310 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

vass the book while in that town and I would take 
the contract. I asked God to not let them do it if it 
was not right, yet wishing they would accept it. 
They wrote back that that was all right. 

I would start out in the morning and ask God to 
help me sell so many books. I would sell the number, 
then would preach at 2 :30 in the afternoon and 7 :30 
at night. I soon found it hard to preach. I would 
hate to get up to preach. The crowd began to get 
small. I would put in two days in one. I had put 
in twenty days and had sold thirty-three books. I 
got wonderfully troubled. I went to sell the book 
to a Methodist friend. He said, "What profit do 
you get on this book?" I said, "I do not work for 
a profit; I get $75.00 a month if I do not sell a 
book." "Well," he said, "I don't want the book. 
I thought if you got a profit I would give that amount 
and not take the book. You pray over this matter 
and see if you are not in the wrong business. ' ' I got 
uneasy and that night in the place of going to bed 
I went to praying, and like Jacob of old I told God 
I could not let him go till he let me know what to 
do. God showed me I should give the thing up and 
write the parties I had promised the book to that it 
was the wrong thing and I would not deliver it. This 
looked pretty big to tell the people a thing was wrong 
when I talked so hard to make them believe it was 
right, and give up the $75.00 then just about due, 
and I did not have a cent and had my family with 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 311 

me. I said, "Lord, I will give it up." I did, and 
notified the parties I would not deliver the book, 
resigned my position and would have no more to do 
with it. 

So I found out the devil would slip in a deception 
on us even while we prayed if we did not open our 
hearts and say, "Now, Lord, thy will and not mine 
be done." While I was asking God to show me I 
was hoping he would show me I could sell the book 
and get the $75.00 a month. 

I started the next morning down to see the super- 
intendent of the packet company, as God had showed 
me to leave the city and go into the state of Missouri. 
There was a woman on the way gave me $5.00. I 
went into the boat office and asked Captain Fowler 
what he would charge me to put my tent, family and 
another man to Cairo. He said $5.00, and I asked if 
he would wait on me thirty days. He consented, and 
I said, "All right; I will go day after to-morrow." 
I bundled my tent and shipped for Missouri. 

Now there was another time I went with a tent 
into a town and held a meeting. I put the tent up, 
announced meeting, and people came out. I preached 
and dismissed them. All left, no one asked me home 
with them. I had prayer, turned out the gasoline 
lights, laid down on a plank with my Bible for a 
pillow. I got up next morning, washed, had prayer 
for breakfast. Meeting time came and it passed by 
just as it did the night before. The congregation left 



312 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and did ^iot invite me home with them. The same 
that night. I told the Lord I would stay there three 
days and nights, and if he did not open a home I 
would shake the dust and leave that town. That 
evening at 5 o'clock a little girl came and said, 
"Mamma said for you to come up to my house and 
get supper." I said all right, went and found a wel- 
come and a good home. I told a large crowd of peo- 
ple my experience that night in their town. They 
seemed ashamed of the way they had treated me. I 
told them my bed was hard, but my dreams were 
sweet, and my food was that which the world knew 
not of. The altar was filled with sinners for salva- 
tion, so God got the glory, and I got the experience, 
for which I give God the praise. 

Now the time came that Charley began to weaken 
in the faith. He said there was no one like us. The 
Methodists had talked to him, he had been reading 
the newspapers, keeping posted about the late war, 
but began to lose faith in God and talked about the 
sects being as apt to be right as we were. So he told 
me there was a holiness school at Wilmore, Ky. that 
offered to take him through for $100.00. A preacher 
that claimed to be out of sectism said if Charley 
would go home with him in Tennesssee and hold 
two meetings he would insure the $100.00. I told 
them it was a sect institution and the next thing when 
he got there they would want him to join that sect, 
but they said no, it was a holiness movement. He 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 313 

begged till I let him go. I took him to the woods 
with me and told him to let us agree in prayer that 
God would give him $100.00 clear of expenses on 
that trip if he wanted him to go to that school. He 
agreed to it, and we went down. I prayed so earnestly 
about it that Charley got uneasy and quit praying. 

So he went on and held two meetings and came 
back to me with $12.00 and a letter from a Methodist 
preacher, stating he had had a talk with the president 
of the school and they had agreed to see him through 
the school. He showed me the letter. He said that 
if he did not have the money to go to write him at 
once and pack his clothes and the money would come 
on return mail. He asked me what I thought about 
the letter. I told him I did not put any confidence 
in it at all, for a man that would lie to God would 
lie to him. And this man had at one time asked me 
for a bottle of oil in the presence of about 3,000 
people after I had prayed for a paralyzed child and 
it was healed. I gave him the oil and he said he would 
preach divine healing in spite of churches, bishops, 
presiding elders, conferences, men on earth or devils 
in hell. He had preached for a year and when the 
conference came down on him he turned from God 
and held to the conference. 

All I could say did no good; he wanted to go. So 
I took hold of faith to bring him out of school. 
I just ate one meal a day for thirty days, preached 
three times a day, and would pray some nights all 



314 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

night. I got the witness he would come out of school. 
In a few days I received three letters from him, 
wanting me to send him money to come home. The 
way I came to get three at once, he had directed to 
a place I was to be, but I was delayed ten or fifteen 
days, and he just kept writing. I sent him the money, 
and when he came he said the president of the school 
made him sign a note for $18.00, and he wanted to 
go to school at home. 

So we moved to Hickman, Ky. and he went to the 
college there for two years, but I found out he had 
joined the Methodist sect. I then set in to pray him 
out of the sect, and held on to God two years before 
I got him out, and then six months before I got the 
sect out of him. But, praise God, the petition has 
reached the throne and the devil is defeated and T 
had the pleasure last August with some other 
brethren to lay hands on him and witness his ordi- 
nation in this Evening Light. He is now in the work 
with me, his heart fixed on God and his determina- 
tion to go through on the narrow way. 

There is no one knows but me what I suffered 
over his going into sectism. I will try to give you 
a little understanding about it. He commenced trav- 
eling with me when he was eleven years old. When 
I preached he was sitting in the pulpit; when I 
prayed he was by my side ; when I went to pray for 
the sick he was by me with his hands on the sick, 
and I could hear his little voice crying out "amen"; 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 315 

when I went to secret prayer in the grove he always 
went by my side; when I was on the railroad train 
he was by my side ; and wherever I was, he was, and 
whatever I did he had an amen, so we stood as one for 
five long years. God gave us many victories, and we 
witnessed scenes that will only be told at the judg- 
ment, and victories that no one knows of but God 
and us, and then it came to where I was left alone 
with Jesus, seemingly not another one on earth be- 
lieving as I did. When I would get up to preach 
I could not see nor hear Charley; when I would go 
to secret prayer he was not there ; when I would pray 
for the sick he was not there; when I would go to 
my bed-room he was not there. So you see the devil 
kept rolling this over me and it was a burden that 
Jesus only could bear. But I thank God he stood 
by me through all these tests and trials and heard 
my earnest petition and granted the same and de- 
livered my boy and gave him back to me to again 
stand with me in the pulpit and herald the truth 
and go with me to rescue perishing souls from a 
never-ending hell. 

I realize that Jesus came for our example to make 
the way so plain that a wayfaring man though a fool 
should not err therein. I found out by experience 
that the fourth chapter of Matthew is one of the 
grandest lessons laid down in the precious book. I 
remember one time I began a meeting at a place 
known as one of the roughest in the state of Illinois, 



316 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

on Eagle creek. There were a number of drunkards, 
gamblers, infidels and outlaws there. It was just 
after I had held meeting on Christmas at Casper 
Fink's, where I have preached every Christmas since 
I have been saved, and got up such an interest that 
we moved it to the meeting-house in the community. 
The first night there was a small congregation, but 
seemingly the power of God got hold on the people. 
I made a proposal to the congregation that as we 
sang a song after prayer we would shake hands with 
every sinner in the house. About the time I saw 
they were all scattered through the congregation of 
Christian people I said, "Let us pray," and as they 
knelt in prayer I told them to pray for the one that 
was near by. It seemed every one was under convic- 
tion. God began a work then in the hearts of the 
people, and in a short time there was quite an in- 
terest. Hard-hearted men that had been at dagger's 
point for years, carrying revolvers, seeking the ad- 
vantage of one another to take their life, came to 
the altar, made friends and fell on their knees and 
cried out for salvation. 

The whole country was stirred, but seemingly the 
people did not know that I had a family at home, 
had to pay house-rent, buy every bite they ate, and 
buy fuel, so an impression came that I had better go to 
the various cities where I had calls and they would 
pay my expenses. I had calls to go to different 
places and money offered to pay my expenses, and 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 317 

I had better go there and preach while it cost so 
much to keep my family through the winter But the 
impression came for me to pray, so I did, and de- 
cided to stand and see the salvation of the Lord. I 
received a letter from Mary E. Minner, Tolu, Ky. 
She had been healed at a meeting that I held at that 
town. She asked me when I would be home. I then 
lived in Marion, Ky., eighteen miles from where she 
lived. I said, "Lord willing, I will be home the tenth 
or eleventh of January." So I closed the meeting 
where I was. The donation was very small, and I 
told the people God had done a wonderful work 
there, but would have pay for that meeting if he had 
to take it in dead horses or cattle. Some days after- 
ward there was a man's horse got sick. He called 
for a neighbor to treat the horse, and while he was 
getting ready to come the man said, "I would rather 
have given Brown $50.00 than to have lost that 
horse. ' ' But he lost the horse. 

I reached home on the eleventh day of January, 
and on the twelfth Brother Minner, the husband of 
the lady that wrote me from Tolu, drove up with a 
loaded wagon. The load consisted of provisions all 
the way from canned fruit, sacks of flour and hams 
of meat to most everything that was good to eat. 
He handed me an envelope sealed up, and when I 
tore it open there was money in it to pay my house- 
rent and buy my coal, and a list of fifty-two names 
of the people of the town of Tolu with the amount 



318 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

stated beside their name that they donated. A short 
letter stated that they presented that to me as a 
New Year's gift. So I saw the scripture fulfilled in 
Matthew where it says, "Thou shalt worship none 
but thy God only." 

There was another time that I went into Morley, 
Mo. to hold a meeting and to preach on divine 
healing. There was a Baptist preacher raised up in 
his congregation and testified. It seemed from the 
testimony that he was going to accept the truth, but 
soon he began to pour out his poison. He said, 
"Brother Brown, I want a revival here; the people 
want a revival here; if you will do what I tell you 
you can bring a revival about. If you will drink 
a pint of laudanum and it won't kill you. I will 
buy the laudanum. Will you drink it? You have 
told us of your miracles and works, show us some 
of these, we want to see them." When he sat down 
I rose up and said, "You old preachers put me in 
mind of two little boys I have heard of; one rich 
and the other poor. The rich boy was rattling his 
money, and the poor boy said, 'You can't show me 
a nickel.' The rich boy went to show it, and the 
poor boy shut his eyes and said, 'Show it to me, 
show it to me!' You preachers cry out, 'Show me 
something, show me,' and when God manifests his 
power in your presence, instead of opening your eyes 
you close your eyes and say, ' Show it to me. ' Now if 
I was a preacher of the gospel, and doubted thp 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 319 

Word as you do, I would get in my buggy and drive 
eighteen miles to old man George Suttle's, one of 
the leading men of Dogwood Ridge, and tell him 
that I wanted to see Angeline Stewart, the woman 
that was healed of blindness in a meeting that Brown 
held there in that community. Go talk with her and 
hear her testimony. Besides there are a number of 
others there that were healed. Now so far as drink- 
ing the pint of laudanum is concerned, I would not 
do that any quicker for you than Jesus Christ would 
speak stones into bread for the devil." 

There was a man in the congregation who was a 
drunkard and a gambler, that had known me and 
of one of my meetings that I held in Paducah, Ky. 
He moved up behind this preacher, and as the con- 
gregation was dismissed he touched the preacher on 
the shoulder and said, "Sir, my wife is a Baptist 
and she believes in divine healing. Our child was at 
the point of death. She fell on her knees after the 
doctor had given her up, God heard her prayer and 
raised the child from the dead. I am a gambler and 
a drunkard, profess no salvation at all, but I be- 
lieve the Bible. I know that man Brown, the state- 
ments which he has made from the pulpit this after- 
noon, some of them I know to be true. I lived with- 
in four miles of the city when he held a meeting and 
the blind, lame, deaf and dumb were healed." 

After I was converted a while I became convicted 
over the way that I had treated the child Rosetta 



320 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Brown that I spoke of in the earlier part of this 
book. I went to her mother's people and found out 
where she was. I wrote to her and she answered my 
letter. Said that her grandmother had told her 
just a few months before who she was, that she never 
knew that I was her father before. She said she was 
saved and belonged to the Baptist church, was going 
to school and had a reasonable education and desired 
to complete her education. I finally saw her grand- 
mother, who lived at Lamb, 111., and told her that I 
woud like to see the girl. She then lived in Tennes- 
see. She told me that if I would pay her expenses 
she would bring her to her house and I could see 
her. I gave her the money to pay her expenses. 
For some time she did not come, and I had left the 
state and was in Kentucky holding meetings when I 
got a letter that she had arrived. My wife was 
with me and I wrote her to come to us, but her mother 
had told her not to come to my family or to my 
house. 

Some time after we returned home in Marion, Ky., 
where we lived, and I went to the state of Illinois 
close to where she was, to hold meetings. She came, 
and was in two or three meetings with Charley and I, 
but was not willing to go to my home. My wife sent 
for her, but she said her mother told her not to go 
there. Later on she went back home and I proposed 
to her if she would come and stay at my house she 
could go to school and finish her education. Wife 




W. M. BROWN AND DAUGHTER ROSETTA. 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 321 

had consented to this. After she reached home she 
wrote back to me and told me that her mother and 
stepfather had consented for her to come, provided 
my wife was willing for her to come. I wrote to 
my wife and asked her. She wrote back that she 
was perfectly willing, and would like for her to 
come. I sent her the letter my wife had written 
me stating that she was willing for her to come, and 
wrote for her to meet me at Winn, Tenn., where I 
had been called to hold a meeting. Charley and I 
arrived there and began the meeting. I received a 
letter from her that she would start on a certain 
day. I told the parties where we were staying all 
about the affair, that she was coming, who she was, 
and all about it, and that she was going home with 
me to go to school. 

She came and I met her at Dover, Tenn., ten miles 
distant. I brought her out to the meeting and she 
was accepted of the people where we staid as my 
daughter. We were all treated well for a few days. 
The Lord commenced sending forth the truth on 
sectism and the people began to fall out with me. 
The lady of the house where we were stopping took 
a stand against me, said she was not my daughter, 
but some woman that had followed me from Nash- 
ville, Tenn. She got up a terrible stir in the country. 
There was a mob gathered at the meeting-house one 
night to mob me. There was a man came and in- 
vited me to go out a distance from the house to 



322 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

talk. I did not suspicion anything and went. He 
told me the best thing I could do was to close my 
meeting and leave the country, that the people were 
dissatisfied with my preaching. I told him I could 
not help it, I had announced meeting till Sunday, 
and unless God showed me different I would stay. 
He said he was authorized to shut the door, he was 
sexton. I said, "You can shut the door, but I will 
preach out doors." 

There was a man a little piece from us that spoke. 
I thought I knew his voice, but could not see, as it 
was dark. He called this man that was talking to me 
by name and said, "What are you doing there?" 
He said, "Just talking; you go in the house and we 
will be in shortly." I said, "This brother tells me 
he is going to close the door, that he is authorized 
to." The man asked him who authorized him to 
shut the door. He made several excuses, but could 
not tell. He said, "I am the trustee, and I authorize 
you to not close it," and he decided he would not. 

The mob was just standing in the shade of the 
house with all arrangements made to take hold of 
me. I just walked on in the house and saw then 
what was working. I began to sing and they came 
marching into the house. I said, "Let us pray." T 
knelt down and began to pray. When I got through 
praying after rebuking the devil and asking God to 
lay his hand upon every opposing power, to give 
me a message from heaven that would uncover sin, 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 323 

promised I would stand on his Word and the cov- 
enant I made with him, though it cost me my life, 
I rose up and sang a verse and took my text and 
began to preach. God laid conviction on the whole 
congregation, and the leader of the mob came up 
after meeting was dismissed and shook hands with 
me and told me he was my friend, and as he went 
home that night he told the people I had proven my- 
self, and that he would stand by me as long as there 
was a button on my coat. 

As we went to leave there we came to Dover, Tenn. 
and took the boat. Charley preached in the Camp- 
bellite meeting-house to a large crowd. As the boat 
would not be there till the next night they asked 
us to preach the next day, so we did. After we left 
the editor of the paper in Dover published me in the 
paper, said that on Sunday morning there was a 
very small congregation attended the different 
churches, and on Monday night a man named Brown 
with his company came into the town and they had 
meeting, preached to a crowded house, and also on 
the next day; however, he said there was something 
peculiar about it, as there was a young lad that did 
the preaching, but the old man was suspicioned and 
found guilty, said a great many slight things. The 
parties where I had stopped put in another report 
against me. 

There was a brother cut the report out of the paper 
and sent it to me at my home. I was not much sur- 



324 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

prised when I saw it, but felt impressed to go show 
the clipping to the county judge, as he was a par- 
ticular friend of mine. He glanced over it and said, 
"Willis, that is libel." He jerked down a sheet of 
paper and wrote a remonstrance against it. He 
signed it, the county officers all signed it, the 
bankers signed it, and the leading merchants of the 
town of Marion, Ky. There was one of the leading 
lawyers of the town named Ollie James which took 
the recommendation and went to Dover, Tenn. He 
put up at the hotel when he got there. While eating 
his breakfast he asked the lady if she was acquainted 
with the editor of the paper. She said, "Yes; this 
is his plate right by you. He will be into breakfast 
directly." He asked if there was more than one 
paper, and she said no. He asked her to introduce 
him to the editor when he came in, and she did. 

Mr. James told the editor when he got through 
eating he would like to talk with him at his room. 
When the editor stepped in Mr. James locked the 
door and said, "Sit down; I want to talk with you." 
He said, "Did you publish that?" and handed him 
the piece that was clipped out of his paper. He 
said he did. "Why did you do it?" "Well," he 
says, "the people said it was so." "It is supposed 
that you should know it was so." He then handed 
him the recommendation and said, ' ' Look over that. 
He trembling read it over. Mr. James said, "Now you 
can see what you are into. That is a self-made man 



INTO LARGER FIELDS. 325 

and a gentleman, our townsman, and we do not pur- 
pose to have such a report going against him. There is 
not a man that signed his name there but that will 
spend every cent he has to defend this man." He 
looked him in the face and said, "Don't break me 
up." He said, "I don't want to break you up, but 
want to give you a chance to set this man right before 
the people, or I will sue you for $40,000 slander." 
He said, "Let us go to the court-room and see my 
lawyer." "Very well," he said, "I won't take ad- 
vantage of you at all." They went up to see the 
lawyers and they began to plot and set the time they 
would have the trial there. He said, "You don't 
need to make any arrangements for me coming here. 
I will not come to your door to find you, I will sue 
you under U. S. court." This brought them to terms 
and there was a reconciliation made. It was made 
right, and what the lawyer got out of it I don't 
know, neither do I care. It was not the money I was 
after, but just wanted everything clear there be- 
tween the people and me that would prevent me from 
holding up Christ before them. 

My daughter staid with me a short time and was 
persuaded to go to her mother's people, and she 
married. She now lives near Lamb, 111. Her name 
is Rosie E. Cook, and she has two children. 



CHAPTER XL 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 

First Meeting with the Saints.— Joined by Coworkers.— On 
Koad to Moundsville, W. Va.— Provisions Low. — Lydia 
Kriebel. — Moundsville Meeting. — Back to Kentucky. — 
Camp -meeting at Dorena, Mo.— Slanderous Keports.— Many 
Other Experiences Could be Given.— Reasons for Writing 
Book. 

Now I will give an account of my first meeting 
with the saints. I was holding a meeting at Portage- 
ville, Mo. and received a letter from Brother H. S. 
Jenkins, East Prairie, Mo., asking me to go to a 
camp-meeting, and said they were in need of a 
preacher. Said that his wife had been there and 
was acquainted with the trustees, and if I would go 
he would write to them and tell them about it. I 
told him the Lord willing I would go. He wrote 
and told them about me and that I would come. 
They wrote back and said they hoped it was not 
that crooked Brown, if it was they did not want 
him to come, but if the Lord led him there, all right. 
It seemed that God then put a stir in my soul to 
go. I was the Brown they had heard of and had 
reference to. So Brother Jenkins wrote me that his 
wife and son and Ada Ford would take a train at 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 327 

Charleston on a certain day for the the camp-meet- 
ing, and I could join them at a station on the road; 
so I did. 

We arrived and the people seemed very shy, but 
there was no other preacher from a distance. They 
insisted on me preaching. I began to preach and 
the Lord began to witness and the interest began 
to increase, God was owning and blessing his Word 
and saving souls. One evening while preaching a 
buggy drove up with W. G. Schell in it. It seemed 
there was an impression or fear ran over me that 
Brother Schell would not fellowship me or recognize 
me. However, after we dismissed the congregation, 
they all went running to meet Brother Schell. He 
was greeting the brethren and I walked toward him 
rather slow, and when I got within about ten steps of 
him he began to shove the people to one side and push 
his way to me, grasped me in his arms and said, 
"God bless you, Brother Brown, I never wanted to 
meet a man as bad in my life as I wanted to meet 
you." It seemd to me that every cloud blew away 
and I had perfect confidence. God blessed his Word 
and our fellowship and we had a good meeting, 
although there was a great deal of crookedness. 

There were some parties there who had come and 
brought some bad reports against me. I had just 
learned it that day. As soon as they saw that 
Brother Schell recognized me they began to call me 
to one side, making their confessions and asking for- 



328 PROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

giveness. Brother Schell insisted that I should go 
to Moundsville. I told him whenever I felt the Lord 
moved that way I would go. It went on for some- 
thing like a year before I had the impression to go. 
But I began to take the paper, correspond with 
Brother Byrum, and with other brethren, and it 
seemed that a perfect unity and fellowship existed, 
though I had not met the established saints, and no 
brethren but Brother Schell yet. I kept on holding 
meetings at different places and prayed God to send 
me a company of workers, as I could not sing and 
had lost all desire for sect songs or sect worship, 
and there were no saints in the community where 
my field of labor was. 

I began a meeting at Dogwood Ridge, Mo. God 
wonderfully owned and blessed his Word, and the 
devil got stirred, sectarians got mad, persecutions 
raised, but the truth found way to a great many 
hearts. Two blind women were healed, thirty-eight 
others claimed healing and thirty-five came out of 
sectism. All this time I was praying God to send 
me some one to help in meetings. I had been asked 
by the citizens of Hickman, Ky., the town where 
I then lived, to hold a meeting, and the merchants 
there had rented a hall for thirty days, requesting 
me to preach there for that length of time. I took 
hold of God by faith for some true workers to help 
me in that meeting. 

On Saturday night before I closed my meeting at 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 329 

Dogwood Ridge on Sunday night, Brother J. H. 
Ball and wife landed at East Prairie, Mo., seven 
miles distance from where I was holding meeting. 
Ada Ford and Sister Riker were praying God to 
send them some conveyance to go to the meeting 
next day. Brother Ball had a wagon and team, he 
and his wife traveling alone, praying the Lord to 
help them get some one to travel with them. They 
came to the meeting the next day and we talked over 
the matter and prayed over it, and they agreed to 
go home with me and help me in the Hickman meet- 
ing. During the meeting we found out it was the 
hand of God that had put us together and we de- 
cided to fix up a gospel wagon and go in a company 
working for the salvation of souls. At the close of 
the meeting Ada decided in answer to prayer that 
God had joined her to the company, so we had to 
build a house on Brother Ball's wagon, and we 
started out to work in southern Illinois, western 
Kentucky and southeastern Missouri, up till the 19th 
of March, 1902, when we felt led of the Lord to start 
to the Moundsville camp-meeting. 

I had received a letter from Lydia Kriebel, Essex, 
111., asking me to come there to pray for her. They 
also sent $15.00 to pay my expenses. I felt it was 
the hand of the Lord providing means to start the 
journey, as I did not have a dollar, and was praying 
the Lord to open up the way to Moundsville. I 
wrote and told them that we would come by that 



330 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

way. We started, and by the time we had gotten one 
hundred and fifty miles from home, our money had 
given out. We drove into a schoolhouse yard and 
camped and fed our horses. Ada Ford and Anderson 
Brown, my little boy, both knew that I was out of 
money. They began to tease me about getting some- 
thing. I told them that I could not, I did not have 
any money. Sister Ball looked up to Brother Bali 
and said, "Joe, how much money have you got?" 
He said, "A quarter." She said, "0 Lord, why 
are we way out here, nothing to feed these poor horses, 
and nothing to buy anything! what on earth will 
we do?" I said, "Sister Ball, God will provide." 
She said she didn't know whether God was in it 
or not. We ought not to have started this trip till 
we knew we had money enough to go through. 
Ada said, "Sister Ball, we have a chance now to 
learn some of the experiences that we have heard 
Brother Brown tell about." She did not seem to 
want to learn them. Anderson said, "Why, Sister 
Ball, this isn't any thing. I have seen the time 
when we did not have but one meal in the house 
and did not know where the rest was coming from, 
and God has always provided. ' ' He said, ' ' God will 
supply our needs." 

We talked and tried to encourage her, but she 
looked back toward home, but was afraid to go back 
on account of ehe dream she had had before we 
started on the trip. She wanted to go home and 




COMPANY OF WORKERS. W. AT. BROWN, 
J. II. AND NELLIE BALL, AN!) ADA FORD. 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 331 

asked us to agree with her, that God would show 
her what to do, and she dreamed that she saw Lot's 
wife, so she concluded from that that God did not 
want her to look back, and she was afraid to start 
toward home. 

God provided means for us to get the next meal 
and feed for the horses before we were out, however, 
we got down to where we had to trust God sure 
enough. One day for dinner we had nothing but a 
potato and a half an onion, a few scraps of meat, 
and a loaf of bread. Ada made soup out of it 
and we had plenty, and to spare, but nothing for 
supper, and no prospect of anything. By the time 
supper came on God had provided means for supper. 

We drove into Paxton, 111. just after dark. We 
had just three cents in money and a little bit of 
meal and feed for the horses. I felt that I was go- 
ing to get money there, but did not know how, 
but supposed I would get it through the mail. As 
soon as we got there I went to the post-office, but 
it had closed. I got no mail. I began to pray to 
God for our supper. The Lord provided, and when 
I got back to the wagon they were singing. They 
had just had prayer. I slipped up and threw some 
meat into the wagon ; they stopped singing and Ada 
said, "Where did that come from?" They did not 
know it was I, they just supposed it was some one 
else threw it in. When I stepped in they had a 
season of rejoicing, had a good supper, God pro- 



332 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

vided means wonderfully. We started from there 
next morning with $2.25, and we reached Brother 
Kriebel's on the 10th of April with seventeen cents, 
no provisions or horse feed. 

We had never been in the North or met any of the 
Northern saints and the devil made some of us suffer 
terribly before we met, especially the sisters; think- 
ing that they would not accept us. The closer we 
drove to the house the worse we dreaded it. How- 
ever, we drove up in front of the gate and stopped. 
I opened the door of the wagon and stepped out, 
and Brother Addison Kriebel was standing to grab 
me in his arms. I had met him in southern Illinois. 
He said, "There is Sister Ball and Sister Ada." 
"Here is Sister Lydia." It was just like getting 
home; tears flowed freely, the grace of God burned 
in our hearts and fellowship burned, and we realized 
we were all one in Christ Jesus. 

Sister Kriebel had been a subject of prayer for 
several years, had been afflicted many years and 
seemed she could not get healed. Every time we 
would pray the Lord would witness with his Holy 
Spirit and we would be made to rejoice, yet seem- 
ingly she could not get victory. We began to fast 
and pray, also the whole church, as we were having 
meeting every day and night. After two days and 
nights of fasting and prayer it seemed God took the 
fast off of most of the church and off of Sister 
Kriebel; in fact, she was nearly dead. 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 333 

The Lord put it on me to preach on little things. 
There had some of the young saints made a cove- 
nant that they would not eat until she was healed. 
After meeting they came to me and asked me what 
was the matter. She seemed to be a good woman, 
God seemed to witness in the prayer, yet she was 
not healed. I tried to explain to them that the 
least shadow of a doubt could keep the individual 
from getting victory, it did not matter how bad 
we wanted her to be healed. She must meet the con- 
ditions of the Word, believe the Word, doubting 
nothing. 

I went to my room that night and on my face 
before God I asked him to move on her heart and 
mind and show her what was in the way and help 
her to meet the conditions, that there might not 
be a reproach brought on the cause or the young 
saints driven from God. When I came down stairs 
next morning she said, " Brother Brown, God has 
shown me some little things." I said, "Amen, will 
you do them?" She said, "I have promised God if 
he will take the will for the deed, I will do them at 
the first opportunity." "Well," I said, "God will 
do that." While at the table eating breakfast she 
began to cough and choke. She was so weak she 
could not raise the phlegm. She fainted and was 
carried from the table and she looked like death; 
however, God held his hand on her and did not let 
her die. She soon recovered so she could breathe, 
but was very weak. 



334 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

Brother Kriebel and the hands all went off to 
work. After dinner-time Brother Kriebel came in. 
She told him that she had decided to take God at 
his Word and be healed. He came into the room to 
have prayer and I was straightening up my books in 
my book valise. He went to his desk, or library, to get 
me some books that he said he would give me. She 
was sitting leaning back in the rocking-chair and 
said, "James, pray for me; I can not wait." I 
looked at her, and she looked like a corpse. Brother 
Kriebel said, "In a minute," but kept on looking 
through the books. She again said, "0 James, pray 
for me, so I can lie down." Brother Kriebel, Brother 
and Sister Ball and myself were all that were in 
the room. Mother Walters came in. It seemed that 
the very glory of God shone down from heaven. 
I said, "Amen, let us pray for Sister Kriebel." 

The books were dropped and we knelt in prayer. 
She was sitting in a chair. She said, "Do you want 
me to get on my knees?" I said, "Just as you 
please." She said, "I feel I should be more humble 
on my knees," and we prayed. I said amen, sang a 
verse and said, "Sister, do you believe in the Word 
doubting nothing?" She looked perfectly calm and 
quiet and said, "I do." "What is to hinder you 
then from being healed?" "There is nothing," she 
said, "I am healed." "Amen," I said, "get up." 
She raised to her feet, sat down in the rocking-chair 
and said, "There is not a pain in my breast, there 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 335 

is not a pain in my back. Praise the Lord the work 
is done!" "Now," she said, "I have always been 
wanting to shout as a witness to my healing. I de- 
cided this time to take God at his Word and believe 
him. It is done and I never strained to believe, 
but just simply believed God." She began to rock 
in the chair, jumped to her feet, gave a scream, and 
seemingly for thirty minutes she bounded like a 
ball over the room. Her long hair dropped down her 
back and it just looked like a pile of bones that went 
jumping through the room. There was no color, no 
appearance of life to look her in the face. 

As soon as her shout was over she did up her 
hair, something she could not do before, grabbed her 
wraps and said, "Mother Walters, come and go with 
me to Sister Shepherds." When they got outside 
of the gate I called to her and asked her if she wanted 
to lie down and rest? She said, "No; bless God I 
am healed, I am not tired." She walked one-fourth 
of a mile and back, and testified and shouted praises 
to God in meeting that night. God had given her 
the witness to perfect healing. 

We had a good meeting there. Some few souls 
saved, some sanctified and some healed. We closed 
and started on our way to Moundsville. The dona- 
tion there was $50.00 and all the provisions we could 
store away in our wagon. We reached Kankakee, 
111. on Saturday evening, staid over Sunday and 
started from there on Monday morning. Donation 



336 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

there $10.00, more provisions and some bedclothes. 
I sent some money to my wife and children. We 
were a little careless while we had plenty and did 
not keep prayed up. God soon let the test come 
again, but we held on to God by faith, never missed 
a meal, nor was there a time but what we had feed 
for the horses. We reached Moundsville with seven 
cents. 

It had been a mystery to us to know just how we 
would find things there. We had heard many state- 
ments from different saints and professed saints. We 
had been notified to watch, to not expect too much, 
and to be careful, and I don't know all the admoni- 
tions we did get. It seemed as soon as we met the 
Family at the Trumpet Office there was a perfect 
fellowship. It was not my intention to preach while 
there, but went to learn. I made that statement in 
my testimony. Two or three services passed over. 
There was a brother took me to one side, said he 
wanted to give me an admonition, and asked me if 
I could stand it. I said I could. He said, ' ' You said 
you came here to learn, not to preach, and the breth- 
ren have prayed the Lord to send you here. While 
you can learn a great deal from the brethren, we can 
learn something from you on divine healing, and we 
want you to preach; the brethren and church are all 
wanting you to preach." I still had no idea of 
preaching. 

One evening the Lord began to move on my soul, 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 337 

scriptures began to come to my mind and I began 
to feel like preaching. As we came down stairs 
there was an old brother slapped me on the shoulder 
and said, ' ' We have got hold of God for you a 
message to-night, you must not play Jonah. ' ' I went 
in and took a seat back from the rostrum some dis- 
tance. After prayer they sang a song, waited, and 
nobody took the pulpit, so they prayed again. "While 
on my knees I said, "Lord, if you want me to take 
the pulpit, keep any one out of it till the song closes, 
and by your help I will take it. I depend on you for 
the message and for the grace. I can do nothing 
myself. ' ' 

For the first time in life I saw what it meant to 
get up before a crowd of older ministers and hold 
up Jesus Christ, The song closed and nobody started 
tor the pulpit. I sat for a little bit and trembled; 
the first time I had ever felt this way. I rose and 
started for the pulpit, shaking like I had the ague. 
As I stepped on the rostrum every fear was gone, 
my soul was filled with the glory of God, and I 
preached, feeling it was directed by the Holy Spirit. 
The subject was rather on the apostolic church. I 
set forth the idea that as it was in the apostolic 
days, so the church would be in this evening time 
when the hangers-on were cut off and the saints 
measured up to the Word of God and moved out by 
faith. It seemed that the majority of the church 
enjoyed it, and some of the preachers. 



338 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

A night before that I had taken a brother to one 
side and told him that I had received a letter from 
my family, that they were in need at the time the 
letter was written. I said, "I have always been able 
to pray the prayer of faith, but now I can not. When 
I go to pray the devil says if you had staid at home 
and preached your family would have been supplied, 
but you have taken this long trip just to see and be 
seen, and you need not expect a support.' ' He said, 
"Brother Brown, he is a liar; I know that God has 
sent you here. We praj r ed for God to send you, and 
I am agreed with you that the Lord will supply your 
family before we can send it to them. ,, I lay on 
my face before God that night till I got the witness 
that my family would be supplied. Just after this 
brother and I had gotten through talking some one 
knocked at my door. Brother Ball stepped in and 
handed me my mail. The first letter I tore open 
there was a check in it for $20.00. I had just written 
a letter to my wife by faith, just as though I had 
the money, and had not sealed it. I showed the 
letter to this brother and the check and told him the 
circumstances. I said, "God will answer prayer.' ' 
The tears ran down his cheeks. He said, "God bless 
you, Brother Brown, and left the room." 

I witnessed some great things at this meeting. I 
set forth divine healing just as I had been preaching 
it. As I would pray for the sick and afflicted, they 
would stand back and look with eyes of astonishment. 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 339 

Some thought one thing about me and some another, 
but God continued to stretch forth his hand and wit- 
ness to the work. We had a glorious meeting, yet I 
could feel there was some of the brethren that did 
not understand me, as I never had been among the 
true saints in the ministry of this reformation and 
my ways were peculiar to them. 

We had what you might call a confidential meet- 
ing. There was a proposal made in the ministers' 
meeting in the presence of ninety-five ministers that 
if there was anything between any of the brethren 
that we could not have confidence in them to work 
with them if we met them out in the field to speak 
of it right there, and if not to not bring up any 
trouble after we had left there. I rose up in the 
congregation and told them that they had heard 
different reports about me, as I knew there had been 
one man that was sent to us to help us. In place 
of helping us he had driven us farther from the 
truth, went back and told false reports on me, and 
some of them had believed it until they met me. I 
said if you know or see anything wrong in me I 
want to know it now. Speak of it publicly or tell 
me privately. I want to leave here with perfect 
confidence in the brethren, and want you to have 
confidence in me. If there is anything wrong in me, 
I want to know it. There was no one that said a 
word. 

My company and I went to Morehead, Ky. to a 



340 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

camp-meeting. We then started for Louisville, where 
we expected to take the boat for Hickman, Ky., where 
my family then lived. Upon arriving at Louisville 
and inquiring the fare we found it was too much, 
so we drove through to Evansville. I had written 
to Captain Joe Fowler, Superintendent of the Evans- 
ville and Cairo packet line for rates. He sent me 
a permit for four, myself and company. We took the 
boat at Evansville and went to Paducah. There 
Brother and Sister Ball took the team and went to 
some of their relation's out twenty miles to rest a 
few days. I came to my home at Hickman, Ky. and 
Sister Ada went to her home at East Prairie, Mo. 

In a few days we met at a camp-meeting at Dore- 
na, Mo., but seemingly there were no arrangements 
made for the meeting, yet it had been announced in 
the paper. Great persecutions arose from the secta- 
rians. We fixed some seats in the grove and com- 
menced services. There w T as a small congregation 
the first night. There had been no preparations made 
to take care of anybody. We made arrangements 
about sleeping. A brother brought in an old stove 
and fixed up a table, another brother brought a few 
potatoes, this was all we had. After meeting when 
preaching was over, I told them we had come to hold 
a meeting in the name of Jesus; that we intended 
to hold it in spite of the devil, and said, "You may 
think we are not going to have any supper, but we 
are going to eat supper after meeting, we have pota- 
toes in the stove roasting now." 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 341 

One man got up and made a great talk, worked up 
the minds of the people, told them these people were 
of God and the Lord had sent them there to rescue 
perishing souls, and that they should not have the 
shame laid on them that they had not anything to 
eat. ' ' Now, ' ' he says, ' ' This meeting is going through 
if I have to pay every dollar myself. I want all 
in this congregation who will give $1.00 in provisions 
or money to come and give me your hand." There 
were fifteen or twenty gave him their hand, and some 
threw down the money. The provisions were to be 
brought in the next day. One man that lived close 
said he would have some there for breakfast. We 
went up where the stove was to eat our potatoes 
and the boys had slipped up there and stolen them 
except a few that one of the brothers had taken out 
and hid away, so we defeated the devil at last, and 
he did not make us lie, for we had potatoes for 
supper. 

The Lord began to bless the Word, the interest 
grew, and people began to get saved. But there be- 
gan to be a great stir and some persecution. Some 
ruffians notified us that they would shoot the lights 
out, if we did not run they would shoot lower. When 
we dismissed the meeting I asked all of the saints of 
God to come to the meeting-house. I went and they 
followed me. The crowd followed and threw clods 
and clubs at us as we went, hollowing at us to 
get behind the cross, used many slanderous words, 



342 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

and said many hard things. After we got in the 
house there were two sisters went to the door to look 
out and to hear them. I told them to come back and 
pay no attention to them at all. If you will stay 
in here you will be perfectly safe, God will pro- 
tect you. One said she wasn 't afraid, and about that 
time an egg hit her on the chest, broke, and smeared 
her clothes all over. I said, "If you would have 
listened you would not have gotten that." They 
finally dismissed and left. 

Brother Ball read some scriptures and told them 
we had met there together for the purpose of agree- 
ing; how many could agree now on the Bible? The 
whole church decided they could agree. I said, 
"What I want to know is whether God wants me to 
stay here or not. I am willing to lay down my life 
right here, if God says stay. Let us all get down 
here now and agree that God show us, give us the 
witness, if he wants us to stay." We prayed till 
2 o'clock. The Holy Ghost fell from heaven as on 
the day of Pentecost and every soul was moved. 
Every saint decided to stand the storm and see the 
salvation of God. 

The next night the Lord laid a message on me. 
While I preached they threw rotten eggs and paw- 
paws, but God threw on the power, sent forth the 
truth, and it seemed they could not hit me. The eggs 
would go above me, pawpaws would go by me, but 
none of the saints were hit. There was a woman 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 343 

sitting right in front of me that belonged to the 
Methodist sect. She had brought a bucket of eggs 
there, we learned later. As the boys would throw 
them they would hit the limbs right over her and 
break and fall on her. She was catching all the 
eggs. She told one of her children to go out and 
tell them to quit that, and that they were watching 
them. I told them they could throw, for God wanted 
me to deliver that message, that the devil could not 
kill me till I got through, that God could melt the 
bullet from the time it left the gun before it got to 
me if he did not want me killed. The Lord witnessed 
to the truth and the majority of the congregation 
sat spellbound, and God proved by signs following 
that he was God and had a people that would stand 
true and did not fear men or devils. 

My son Charley was in that meeting, but was hold- 
ing to sectism. He has told me since he has gotten out 
into the light that that meeting did more to draw him 
to the truth and convince him of the wrongness of 
sectism than anything he had ever seen. He said 
as he saw God's ministers stand and face the threats 
and the pistols and preach the truth he knew that 
sectarians would not do that. 

Just as we were leaving Moundsville I received 
a letter from a sister at Dogwood Ridge, where I had 
announced a camp-meeting, stating that every ar- 
rangement was made for the meeting and the saints 
all wanted me to come, and many of the sinners ; but 



344 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

that there was a man that died there who had once 
accepted the truth and come out of sectism, fought 
the truth and spoke hard things about me and went 
back to sectism, then he had fits and the saints prayed 
for him for four hours and God delivered him. He 
then said that he would accept the truth and stand 
by the right, said he knew I was a good man, and 
he was going to send me some money as soon as he 
sold his grain. 

In a short time he was overpowered by the sect 
spirit, turned against the truth, took fits. The doctor 
said it was hysteric fits, and that the gospel that I 
preached had given him the fits. They could not 
do anything for him and in a few hours he died. 
His brother said that I was the cause of his death 
and I could never preach another sermon in that 
country; if I ever undertook to he would shoot me 
down in the pulpit. Others that belonged to secret 
orders and outlaws had taken sides with him and the 
mob arranged to take my life if I came. I handed the 
letter to some of the brethren as I left Moundsville 
and told them to read it in the ministers' meeting and 
to take the case earnestly to God, praying that he 
would lead me in regard to the matter. I decided 
if God led me there I would go, though it cost me 
my life. 

The time came on for the meeting just after the 
Dorena meeting, and I in company with others went. 
As soon as we got there I was informed that there 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 345 

was a man there from the town where I lived who 
had stated publicly that I had abused his sister, 
tore her clothes, cut her neck and mistreated her 
terribly, and had run away from that town. A 
brother present heard his statement and said to him, 
"Can you prove that?" He said, "I can." He says, 
"You have it to do. Brother Brown is coming here 
to hold a meeting to-day or to-morrow; if he is that 
kind of a man I want to know it, if he is not that 
kind of a man he does not need to lie under it. If 
you don't prove it I will send you over the road." 
He said he would prove it. 

In two nights he came to meeting and I asked 
this brother to bring him out to one side and intro- 
duce him to me, so he did. He said, "This is Brother 
Brown, I suppose you are acquainted with him. 
This is the man you told me about. " " No, ' ' he says, 
"He is not the man. I know this man, he is little 
Charley's father. It was another preacher Brown." 
I said, "I am the only preacher Brown at Hickman, 
I am certainly the man you were talking about." I 
said, "Will you get up before this congregation and 
state I was not the man?" He said he would. 
After prayer service I arose in the congregation 
and talked for a while and told the great re- 
ports and slanders that came against me at times, 
but God had uncovered it all to prove to the hon- 
est hearts it was false. I told them of the re- 
port that had been about my conduct in the town 



346 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

where I lived. I said the man that reported that is 
in the congregation. He rose to his feet and said, 
"You are not the man." I said, "Will you confess 
you lied?" He said, "You are not the man I was 
talking about." He told one of the brethren the 
mob was ready, and had told him the names of the 
people that were going to hang me, and pretty soon 
he came to the altar for salvation. 

I went close to him and was praying in secret. I 
commenced to talk to him, he began to cry out 
and soon threw up his hand and went to shout. 
I said, "I rebuke this shouting, professing devil in 
the name of Jesus Christ and command it to be still, 
and pray God Almighty to hold you here till you 
confess your sins." He quieted down. I said, "Now 
you have lied on me. You have lied publicly, you 
must confess it publicly. God will never save you 
tin you do it." A brother whom he had talked to 
said, "You know this is the man you talked about, 
you told me it was he, now you have it to confess 
or you will go to hell." He said he would go to 
hell before he would confess it publicly. ' ' I am willing 
to confess to you that I lied, but to get up before 
this congregation and do it, I will not do it." I 
said, ' ' I will pray God to hold you here till you do. ' ' 
God laid his hand on him for four days and nights, 
finally he came to the place, rose before the congre- 
gation, told them that he had lied on Brother Brown, 
that he never knew anything wrong about him, and 



WITH THE LORD'S PEOPLE. 34? 

that the devil had just made him make up that tale 
without a foundation. The gang that was in with 
him was in the congregation. It showed up later 
that he had been sent there to make a profession, 
get on the good side of the saints that they might 
have a better chance to get in their work. 

The man that said he was going to kill me drove 
within fifteen feet of the rostrum in his buggy, so I 
was told. When I got up to preach he sat there and 
looked at me. While I was preaching there was an 
alarm something like a small clock alarm began to 
ring at his buggy. I said, " Don't pay any atten- 
tion to the devil, souls are at stake, it is salvation 
or hell, listen to the gospel." He soon turned and 
drove away. We received a telephone despatch from 
New Madrid, Mo., asking if I was hung. Said it was 
reported by a man that had seen them buy a rope 
and start to the meeting on Saturday night to hang 
me. The man that got the despatch sent word back 
that he was there at meeting, I preached there, no 
disturbance, and nobody hung, I was still alive. The 
meeting closed with victory, God got the glory, the 
devil was defeated, everybody got away alive, for 
which we give God all the glory. 

Now there are many other things and experiences 
that I could put in this book, but I feel that this is 
sufficient. I pray God's blessings upon the readers 
and trust that it will be instrumental in the hands 
of God in stopping some precious souls from going 



348 FROM INFIDELITY TO CHRISTIANITY. 

into the ditch where I went, and encourage some 
poor soul that is where I was to trust in the same 
Christ and come out as I have. I thank God for 
deliverance from sin and affliction, and that I am now 
saved and under the blood. 



REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK. 349 



MY REASONS FOR WRITING THIS BOOK. 



While in sin I had a disposition to get rich and 
had a turn to make money. There was no trouble 
for me to make money, but hard for me to keep it. 
I have been worth thousands of dollars already, and 
down to where I worked for fifty cents a day to 
support my family. Three times in my life I have 
broken financially and given everything I had to my 
creditors, never tried to hold anything from them. 
When God won my heart and I got salvation and 
felt the call to preach I had a good deal of property 
around me. Those that did not know my circum- 
stances thought I was well to do, but I knew that I 
owed for it all. God impressed me to turn my 
property over to my creditors and go preach the 
gospel, which I did, gave up every dollar and every 
hoof of stock, and promised God that what lacked of 
paying my debts I would pay if he would provide 
the means. I have been asking God to open the way 
ever since for me to pay my debts and speed the 
time that I could say I owed no man a dollar. God 
has moved on my heart to write this book, and ever 
since I have been converted I have been requested to 
do so by many friends. I feel that this is God's way 
of paying what I owe, and for this purpose I have 
written the book, expecting to use the money to 
pay my debts. 

THE END. 



APR 12 1904 






